Light the Flame
by Shibby-One
Summary: Sequel to Dance the Forbidden Dance – A new place, a new home where they can be accepted... And stay... Until, three years later... The onceprince's father is dying. And only Yami will be accepted as Pharaoh. [YamixTeana][Complete]
1. On the Way

Hey, I came back again! I had to split this story up, it's too long for me. Yeah, In know, I have a fic with 20 chaps… about as far as I'll go for chaps, anyway. So… This is the next installment. It's a bit more dramatic then _Dance_ was, so prepare yourself!

Also, this is being uploaded... erm... a bit ahead of schedule. I won't be able to upload it next week, and the week after is when I'm in Canadia... so... that is why it's going up now. And I'll update when I get back home n.n

**.**

**Light the Flame**

**Chapter One**

**_On the Way_**

**.**

**.**

The gentle morning light glistened off of the petals delicately. Aklia touched one gently, pulling a blood red petal from the bunch. She let it blow away between her fingers. She lay against the wall, sliding down until she was on the ground. She closed her eyes and let a steady, far-off drumming soothe her in the dusk.

"Aklia…?" a voice said tentatively from the gateway. Asenath allowed her braid to flutter from behind her. Aklia glanced up at her.

"Yes?" she asked, trying to cover the fact she was crying. She had secluded herself to her room for the past three days, ever since Yami had left. Now she was sitting outside, at dusk, holding a single flower in her hand.

Asenath dropped down beside her.

"Are you… alright?" she asked softly. Aklia didn't answer.

"…I don't know…" she answered finally. "I… want to know why he left." She turned and looked Asenath straight in the eye. "It's not fair. Why did he have to go? He could have… at least… said goodbye to m-me…" Aklia broke down into tears once more, covering her head with her arms. Asenath stroked her head gently, letting her tears fall.

"It's alright, Aklia," she said softly. "I'm sure he's fine, wherever he is." Aklia just cried on her shoulder, her body shaking.

"I-I just… don't understand," she whispered. "Why did he leave?"

"Many reasons, Aklia," Asenath answered. "It wasn't you, I promise." Aklia sniffed.

"Asenath? Aklia? What the…?" Jono said, walking into the courtyard as well. His face fell as he saw Aklia crying on Asenath's shoulder. He walked over, squatting near them.

"It will be alright, Lady Aklia," he said softly. He nodded to Asenath.

"…May it be… Will it, Asenath?" he asked, smiling. Asenath remembered the old, childhood code.

"Yes, Jono," she whispered, tears running down her face. "May it be." Jono smiled. He stared at the sky.

"Sekhem is so damn worried... He said when Yami's caught, he'll hang on him and never let go. He truly loves him, doesn't he?" Jono asked Asenath. Asenath nodded.

"Ever since he was young he's been very attached to Yami," Asenath explained. She sighed. "It's so depressing to watch him... he's so immature..."

"True," Jono said, pulling a mitsukai from the tree behind him. "But we all start somewhere, ne?"

**.**

**.**

Ankumanukanon felt devastated. He was standing at the window, high above the city, staring out at the darkening skies. He had already lost his son once… twice… he nearly died as a baby as well. Ankumanukanon sighed and leaned forward, his shoulders shaking.

_Why_ was Yami doing this?!

"I'm… so worried…" he whispered, sighing. He felt a hand settle on his shoulder. He turned to see Anna beside him, her eyes settled on the land around them.

"I'm worried as well," she said softly to him, turning his way. "He is so reckless… He is likely to die out there…"

"…I know…" Ankumanukanon murmured. "That is what I'm afraid of." Anna knelt on the floor and instead lay her head on the windowsill, letting her eyes fall on the great land of Egypt before them.

"You know why he left, don't you," Anna asked finally, after a moment of silence. Ankumanukanon sighed heavily and closed his eyes. He placed his hand on the Sennen Puzzle, touching its smooth surface. "It's not just because of the law…"

"I know," Ankumanukanon whispered. He leaned forward, his head against the wall. "It's because of the Sennen Items." Anna glanced at him.

"The poor boy… He's scared to death of them…"

**.**

**.**

"Where are your homelands, Teana?" Yami asked, leaning against Teana's head. Teana was humming to herself. The darkness was falling over them rapidly. Yami glanced at her ankle. She had sprained it when she fell off Angel earlier in the day. Teana glanced into the desert.

"They're in the mountains... It's beautiful, I promise you'll love it," she vowed, her eyes moving towards the vast deserts in the south. "It's flourishing this time of year... I hope we get there soon." Yami nodded in agreement.

"I'm surprised we haven't been ambushed by now," Yami said, staring at the sky. He felt Teana's body stiffen.

"Ambushed? Will we be _ambushed?_" she asked, a slight edge to her voice. Yami tightened his grip on her.

"Don't worry, Teana. I'm sure whatever happens, we'll be fine." Teana closed her eyes and sighed.

"I hope so."

"Don't worry. Nothing will hurt us; I promise..." he trailed off. She was tired, and was quickly falling asleep in his arms. He stared at the stars, saying a silent prayer to the gods.

_Please... let Aklia be alright. Let her be released from the burden that would have been so heavily placed on her soul. Let her be free, as I am. Let them all be free._

**.**

**.**

'Free' wasn't the word on everyone's minds.

"There are _bandits_ out there," Ankumanukanon said, exasperated. He stared into the sun of the fifth day of their departure. "Hundreds of them, just looking for travelers like them." Anna rubbed her arms and stared at the sky. Her eyes teared and she closed them, fear rippling through her soul.

"Please, Anku... Don't _tell_ me this," she pleaded in a whisper. "I'm worried enough..." Ankumanukanon face softened for her, but he still stared hard at the Imperial Order.

"Why isn't they haven't been caught yet?" he asked. The leader backed away.

"I don't--"

"_Don't _tell me you don't KNOW!" Ankumanukanon shouted, becoming angry again. The leader gulped.

"I assure you--"

"Pharaoh-sama!" a voice called, running into the throne room. Everyone turned to see the newcomer. Jono tripped and fell over himself in his haste, quickly standing up, and then bowing.

"Pharaoh-sama," he breathed, catching his breath, "They've been spotted by travelers coming here. It seems they've stopped somewhere along the Nile because of Teana's bad ankle. They recognized the seal branded onto Angel's flank, sir." Ankumanukanon swore under his breath and stared at the leader.

"You! You're men are out there! Make sure they scout along the Nile!" The leader jumped, and then nodded nervously.

"Y-yes, Pharaoh-sama," he muttered, then bolted. Jono watched him run by.

"Yami'll put up a fight!" he shouted after him, causing some guards to stare at him quizzically. Jono brushed it off and turned to leave.

"Jono, wait," Ankumanukanon called, causing Jono to stop walking. He turned around.

"Yes, Pharaoh?" Ankumanukanon smiled.

"Thank you," he said. "I'm so grateful for this news... All I can think about is him..." Jono frowned.

"With all due respect, Pharaoh," Jono started, bowing, "You _do_ know why he left in the first place, correct?"

"Yes, because he would have been sacrificed," Ankumanukanon said. "It's obvious." Jono shuffled his feet.

"Well... He didn't want me to tell you this, but I will anyway. The real reason he left was..."

Ankumanukanon stiffened. He knew the real reason...

"...He doesn't want to rule as Pharaoh. And... He's scared to _death_ of the Sennen Items." Ankumanukanon sighed sadly.

"Yes, I did know this, Jono," he said wistfully, "...I just wish he had told me..."

"He was planning on leaving awhile back, but then Aklia came... and everything started changing..." Jono trailed off. When nothing more was said, Jono turned to leave. He left without a word back to him. Ankumanukanon sat down, putting his head in his hands.

"I understand he's scared... But so was I..." he whispered to himself. "I was scared... but I didn't run away like a coward..." He looked up between his fingers. "...He deserves death with an attitude like that..."

"Anna," he said, standing up. "Call the militia. Tell them to send a message out to every place you can think of around here. Our sister lands. And tell them to bring both Sennaniakah and Atem back... dead or alive."

**.**

**.**

_[dun dun DUUUUUUUUUN DUUUUUUN!!!! Whoaaa!!!!! Anyway.... Yeah, I know, short first chap, but gimme a break... the next part wouldn't have made much sense right after this part... Well.. how is it so far? It starts bad, but gets better, promise. Next chap: Fight for Freedom. Sounds like something outta the Revolutionary War, huh?]_

**Shibby****-One**


	2. Fight for Freedom

_[Hehe, I'm baaaaaack... Back from Canadia... I had fun n.n It was pretty cool up there. Both literally and figuratively xD Well, here we are, again, with this fic... I wrote a new plot thingy for Asenath, it'll show up muuuuch later.... now... onwards.]_

_._

**Light the Flame**

**Chapter Two**

**_Fight for Freedom_******

**.**

**.**

Blood hit the sand like sun hits the water. Teana fell to her stomach, flipping over in time to dodge a fallen horse.

"Oh--!" she yelled, too frightened to move. She stared up at the large man hovering before her. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her up.

"Hey, I got 'er!" the man called to his comrades. Teana wriggled her hurt wrist, to try to free herself, but to no avail. The man just laughed.

"Gods, Pharaoh will be so pleased we caught the little buggers," he said, tying Teana's wrists together.

_Bury me softly in this womb…. I give this part of me for you…. Sand rains down and here I sit…. Holding rare flowers… In a tomb... in bloom…___

"Let--me--go!" Teana cried, kicking the man's leg. He dodged it easily and pushed her to the sand.

"You bitch, shut up and stay still!" he growled, Teana shivering under his might. She glanced over at Yami, who had been beaten into submission. His wrists were also being tied, although the other man had to hold him up. Teana winced as she saw his face was drenched in dark blood.

"Alrighty, now that we got 'em... What do we do?" the first man asks. The other one hit him in the hit.

"Bastard, we bring them back! Then we get rewarded," he said greedily. Both men grinned at each other. The first one picked Teana up easily.

"C'mon, prec--"

Teana saw it happen. She saw the faint glow grow brighter on his forehead...

The man was cut off. He had received a sharp blow to the stomach. Yami had silently snuck up on him and had punched him. He glanced up at Teana and grabbed her arm, slicing through her binds with a sharp knife.

"Come, Teana," he hissed, untying Angel. "Let's get outta here!" Yami hopped onto Angel's back, pulling Teana up. Even with the injuries he received, Yami flipped the reigns and Angel started galloping away.

They left the man, since the other had been killed by the strong surge of magic that had coursed through Yami. Teana, still stunned they had gotten out of that situation, let Yami lead and leaned on him, wondering what happened.

After a while of silence, Angel became antsy and stopped, leaning into the Nile to drink. Yami hopped off without a word, helped Teana down, then sat down in the grass and started bandaging his arm and his face. Teana stared at him, still in shock.

"Umm... Yami?" she asked slowly. Yami turned a bit to her. "What happened back there?" Yami scoffed and wrapped a white bandage around his wrist.

"Just... shadow magic," he explained, as if that told the entire story. "Something I 'inherited'. That was the second time I've used it in my life... I used it to free myself from that damned rope… They didn't even notice… But now..." he stretched and yawned, lying down in the grass. "If anyone attacks in the next few days, unless you know some tricks, we're dead." With that, he closed his eyes and turned onto his side in the long grass, eventually falling asleep. Teana stared at him, eyes wide.

_How can he talk like that so easily? He makes it sound like a game!_ Teana thought. She touched her cheek and felt dry blood on a wound. _Truth is, if we don't get there soon, we'll shrivel up and die out here..._ It had already been a long time since they'd seen someone else, besides those bandits. Teana ran her fingers through the sand.

"If anyone else attacks... We'll die..." Teana whispered to herself. She heard Yami take a breath and roll sideways, facing her. She glanced his way.

He was sleeping soundly, his chest rising and falling gently, his arms spread beside him. She watched him sleep, wondering how he could rest so easily. Her heart felt like it had ten thousand pounds resting on it. She was so worried...

_Down in a hole and I don't know if I can be saved… See my heart I decorate it like a grave… You don't understand who they…___

"Yami," she whispered, lying down in the sand beside him. "We'll make it... They can't hurt us anymore then they already have..."

**.**

**.**

Stomps could be heard in the distance. Angel lifted his head, snorting and standing up and erect. He backed up a bit, stepping on the edge of Teana's skirt. He turned and nudged Teana's shoulder, trying to wake her. She moaned and pushed Angel away.

"Angel, not now... go away..." Angle whinnied and backed up some more, nearly tripping over Teana's body. Angrily, Teana sat up, somewhat drowsy from her nap, and glared at Angel.

"Angel, I swear, if you don't..." she trailed off as she saw a dust cloud on the horizon. She could hear shouts and calls coming from the cloud, as well as horses.

_Oh, shit._

"Yami," Teana muttered, shaking his shoulder, her eyes widening. Yami didn't respond. So Teana shook him harder, crawling towards him.

"Yami, we have to get up and _go..._ they're coming!" she hissed. She glanced to the West banks of the Nile to see the sun almost set, red, pink, and orange hues casting the sky. Teana gasped in disbelief.

How long had they been sleeping? It was dusk already?

"Yami, please!" Teana cried, wiping some escaped tears away. Yami moaned, but his eyes remained closed and his body still. Teana crouched as low as she could, so the riders wouldn't see her...

No cigar.

"Oh, shit," Teana whispered as she recognized the riders. Her eyes widened and she backed away in fear.

_They were the men who had brought her to __Egypt__ in the first place. The ones she had had a horrible experience with... She was their slave..._

Teana groaned, swallowed, and stood, her skirt billowing. The lead, a bastard named Katar, laughed out loud as he saw her and pulled his horse to a stop. The others did as well.

Teana could feel her body shiver as he approached her.

"Why, if it isn't our little Ana," Katar said, sauntering over to her. She stayed as frigid as possible, hoping to keep all the attention on her. If they saw an unarmed man... Especially a _sleeping_ one...

"Yes, our delicate desert flower," another man said, following Katar. The other men laughed and watched her, snickering. Teana remembered the flower Yami had put into her hair days ago. It still flourished, even after separating from the vine.

"I thought you had died," Katar said, circling her like a vulture. "Amazing, ain't it, to see how well you've become... You certainly look older then fourteen, I'll give you that," he said, a huge grin plastered on his face. Teana saw him edge closer.

_Thought I was supposed to be… Look at me now a man… Who won't let himself be…___

Gulping, she stepped to the side, getting away from Katar.

"Leave me alone, Katar," she said, barely above a whisper.

"What, have you become all high-and-mighty all of a sudden, dear Ana?" Katar asked, looking her entire body over. "Why, just a few years ago, you answered to me. Remember?" Teana stayed silent.

"My name is Teana," she hissed. "I haven't gone by Ana in years."

"So, as soon as you escape you change your name, eh? Well, _Teana,_" Katar said, emphasizing her name, "What's a pretty thing like you doing out here? On your way home, I suppose?" Teana glanced around at the other men. She hadn't noticed it, but they circled her, giving her no escape route. Teana stiffened.

_Please, Ra,_ she pleaded in her mind, _Don't let them see Yami unarmed. They will surely kill him, for he is obviously Egyptian and Katar _hates_ Egyptians..._

Katar noticed she seemed to be concentrating on something. He stood beside her, the side of his body pressed against hers.

"Something wrong?" he asked, frowning at her. "What, do you think you still don't_ belong_ to me? My father captured you from that dammed village, you with your crazy witchcraft and mountain hide-a-ways, and brought you to _our_ country. But of _course_, those friggin' Egyptians had to free you and let you abide by your will, right?" he said, slapping her face. Teana gasped and stumbled sideways into one of the other men. Grinning, the man shoved her back into the center, where Katar lashed at her legs.

With a shriek she fell, amid the laughter of the men. She couldn't hold her cold front for much longer...

"Seems like they didn't do a very good job of building a defense, now, did they?" Katar remarked, speaking of her willpower. Teana held back her tears.

_Never let Katar see you cry,_ were her reoccurring thoughts all the years she was a slave to Katar. Katar knelt beside her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"You're the most beautiful woman I have ever seen," Katar said, his voice growing soft. He ran his hands down her arms. Teana lifted her head to face him, visibly shaking. Katar leaned his face so close to hers, he barely had to whisper to speak to back with me... Your beauty could make you wealthy..." Teana remembered how beauty was part of the reason she had become so successful in Egypt... She avoided Katar's eyes.

_Down in a hole, feelin' so small... Down in a hole, losin' my soul… I'd like to fly, but my wings have been so denied… Down in a hole and they've put all the stones in their place…___

"She isn't going anywhere," a cold, foreboding voice said from behind one man. The man's eyes suddenly blanked, his pupils dilated, and he collapsed, blood coursing down his back. Katar stood straight, glaring at the intruder.

"How dare you interrupt... You!" Katar cried, stepping back, pointing at the man with an accusing hand. "I-it's you! The Prince!"

Teana glanced over, her heart beating faster.

_Could..._

Yes.

It was.

Yami stood there, his hands balled into fists, staring at Katar with a look full of loathing. Teana backed away, staring at Yami with wide eyes.

"When did he become..." she whispered. He seemed so... different. It was almost if a different aura had completely surrounded him.

Stepping forwards, Yami extended his right arm, opening his hand to show a flat palm.

"Yes, it is me," Yami said in a low, haunting voice, "and if you don't leave her alone, I swear to the gods I'll kill you." Teana gasped, leaning back.

_This isn't..._ she thought. _He couldn't..._

"Yeah, like a little punk like you could kill _me,_" Katar said, rolling his eyes. "Your _father_ isn't here to save you with his Item, Prince-_sama__,_ so I'd suggest re-thinking your threat." Yami smiled slowly.

"He isn't the only one with the magic of Shadow," Yami hissed, stepping forwards. Katar backed away as once again, a dull, white glow on Yami's forehead grew brighter. Teana had to shield her eyes from the glow then enveloped him. It died down quickly, though...

And all Teana heard was a blood-stopping scream... Then darkness.

**.**

**.**

Angel was nudging her head, lifting it slightly with his muzzle. Teana breathed deeply and opened her eyes, sitting up. As soon as she sat up, however, she instantly regretted it. Her entire body felt numb, weak, and she felt a ravenous need for food. She also felt dehydrated.

How long had she been there? It was dusk last time she remembered being awake... What happened to Katar and the others? What about Yami?

_I've eaten the sun so my tongue has been burned of the taste… I have been guilty… Of kicking myself in the teeth…_ _I will speak no more… of my feelings beneath…___

All her thoughts, mixed with her physical pain, caused her to roll over and moan loudly. It was past midday, maybe only a few hours until dusk.

_It must be a new day,_ Teana thought, lying on her side. _That means I've been lying here for an entire day... without food or water..._

After lifting Teana, Angel moved onto waking Yami. Teana glanced up, her eyes widening in fear.

Yami lay on his side, facing the setting sun. He didn't appear to be moving.

Angel sat down in the sand beside him, nudging him gently. Teana crawled over to Yami, placing a hand on his chest.

It was rising and falling slowly, as if he were in a deep sleep. She could tell that like herself, he had also been here an entire day, unconscious.

Teana looked up and saw the Nile only a few yards away.

"Oh, thank the gods," she said, sliding down the bank and into the river. The cool, relieving water washed over her body and then she greedily gulped as much as she could before retreating. She cupped some water into her hands and ran to Yami, throwing it over his hot, dry body.

It hit his face mostly.

Coughing, Yami opened his eyes and sat up, instantly rolling over. He was exhausted, dehydrated and hungry, as well as being injured. Teana stroked his forehead.

"That wasn't a smart thing to do, whatever you did yesterday," Teana whispered, sliding into the sand beside him. Yami opened his eyes wearily and smiled at her.

_Sand rains down and here I sit, holding rare flowers (Oh I want to be inside of you)… In a tomb...in bloom… Oh I want to be inside... Down in a hole, feelin' so small… Down in a hole, losin' my soul… Down in a hole, feelin' so small… Down in a hole, outta control...___

"Guess not. I couldn't think of much else," he whispered back, hoarsely. "I used up just about as much power as I had... Gods I'm... tired..." he said, sighing, his eyes closing. Teana stared at him.

"You know as well as I do that we're going to die out here..." she whispered, before closing her eyes. She thought she could hear horses again in the distance, and she knew they had moved away from where they had originally rested, but she didn't care anymore.

All she cared about was that she... got to... go back to... sleep...

_I'd like to fly but my wings have been so denied…_[1]

_Hey,_ she thought, her mind going blank, _we're finally free..._

**.**

**.**

**[1] Song:** that song is "Down in a Hole" by Alice in Chains. I don't know why, but that song kept popping into my head as I wrote this… I dunno. ::Shrug:: BTW, that's **not** the entire song… I left like one chorus out… n.n

_[Eeks, what's gonna happen? Well, I don't know, do I? OMG OMG OMGGG!!! freaks out Are they gonna make it? Next chap: I Don't Think They're Coming Home. Now we go back to Egypt to see what the final verdict is, after they've been gone nearly five days.]_

**Shibby****-One**


	3. I Don't Think They're Coming Home

_[Hey, I'm not gonna give it away in the author notes!! Go read!!]_

_._

**Light the Flame**

**Chapter Three**

**_I Don't Think They're Coming Home... _**

**_._**

**_._**

"It's the... the honest truth," Jono said to Maia one night after watching for Yami. Maia leaned forward onto the stone table, the candle they were using for light flickering.

"Are you sure? You're positive?" Maia asked, her eyes saddened. Jono bowed his head.

"Yes, Maia, dear... I don't think they're coming back home." Maia ran her hands through her hair, sighing.

"Oh, gods... Has _anyone_ seen them?" Jono nodded.

"Yes, some men that had gone out to find them came back, saying Yami had defeated them... They said he was so determined that his Shadow magic came out. He... he killed whoever opposed him. The only men that came back were the ones watching from a distance..."

"He killed? Yami? _Really?_" Maia said in disbelief. "But... I thought he was so _passive..._" Jono stared straight at her.

"He was," he explained in a hushed whisper. "Maia, don't you know _why_ he didn't want to be Pharaoh?" Maia shook her head. Jono leaned in closer, although anyone who could overhear were all asleep.

"He's afraid of the Sennen Items," Jono whispered. Maia's eyes grew wide with surprise.

"_What?_" she whispered back. "He _is?"_

"Yes, very afraid," Jono explained. "Whenever he sees them used, something... happens to the holders. He says it's the thing he's afraid of. He can't explain it, supposedly, but it's there and it frightens him. Something about... the purity of them. Maia," Jono said, his hands on her shoulders, "those Items aren't as pure as we think they are." Maia gulped and stared hard at Jono.

"W-what's he afraid of _in_ them?" she asked slowly. Jono let her go and looked away.

"He's afraid of himself. He's afraid of his own power. He has the most power out of everyone, Maia. And he's not even full-blood Egyptian, for Ra's sake," Jono said, turning to her. Maia gasped and blinked.

"He's not?"

"Shhhh! Don't let anyone know!" Jono said, covering her mouth. He glanced around for a moment, but the windows were silent. He let her go, Maia shaking.

"So, he's afraid of his Shadow power..."

"Because, with the Sennen Puzzle, the others come alive," Jono explained, attempting an explanation of the Items. "With_out_ anyone to rule the Puzzle, even if there are people to use the others, they won't truly work until the Puzzle is in order. Like... if Pharaoh were to die, and Yami _didn't_ come back..."

"What about Sekhem?" Maia asked, folding her hands. Jono shook his head.

"No good. Yami... he was chosen at birth. It's either him, or no one, Maia."

**.**

**.**

The rock was hard and smooth between his hands as he raised his arm to fling it. It skipped a couple times, then sank into the water. Seto sighed.

"Seto?" a voice called behind him. Seto turned to see a woman behind him. Two of them. Asenath had been walking and talking to Isis, but when they saw Seto, they both stopped.

"What on earth are you doing?" Asenath asked, walking forwards. Isis followed. Seto stepped back and stared into the large pool of water he'd been using to skip rocks on.

"Waiting, like everyone else," he said, tossing a rock up and down in his hands. He sighed and tossed that one, too. It landed in the water without any movement at all. Isis folded her hands in front of her and stared at the silver-looking water.

"It's been... nearly a week," Isis said softly. She glanced up. "Surely, if they _were_ still alive, they'd--"

"They're still alive," both Seto and Asenath said defiantly. Isis gulped. She _knew_ this would happen... They wouldn't accept the possibility that they had died...

"...Well..."

"I have proof, Isis," Asenath said, turning to her. Isis looked up at her. Asenath's lips curved into a small smile. "I can sense Yami. He's still alive. When... when he died the last time," she said, staring at her hands, "...I couldn't sense him any longer. It was if his presence was never there. That's how I knew he had died without being told. But now... If he was dead, I wouldn't feel him so... strongly. His soul is still here... He is still alive..." she trailed off, rubbing her hands together.

"...Oh..." Isis murmured. "Well, I certainly hope..." she decided not to finish. Seto crossed his arms and stared at the water.

"You know what the Pharaoh said, right?" he asked softly. Asenath bit her lip and closed her eyes.

"He said bring them back, dead or alive," Isis said in a small voice. "...Dead or alive..." A soft wind picked up, blowing them in the back. Seto closed his eyes and Asenath sat down on the edge of the pool, her braid swinging out behind her. It took both Isis and Seto a moment to realize that Asenath was wiping her red, blotchy eyes. They were filled with painful tears.

"It's not fair," Asenath whispered. She refused to look up at the two. "...It's just not fair."

"What isn't? That they get to _die_ while we're stuck here with the burden they left behind?" Seto said angrily, turning around. Asenath looked up at Seto, tears in her eyes.

"It's not fair, what the gods are doing!" She cried. "Playing this damn game with us!"

"Heh, you call this a _game?!_" Seto cried, throwing up his arms. "Oh yeah, what a game this is! This isn't a game, you idiot, it's life!" Asenath narrowed her eyes.

"I don't care. The gods are playing with human emotions. Don't they know how _difficult_ it is for them to do that?"

"They can do whatever the _hell_ they want!" Seto said, leaning forwards, right into Asenath's face. Asenath swallowed. "Listen. I don't know what's going on in his head, but there is _no way_ that the gods could want him _now!!_" Silence filled the courtyard. Isis was shaking her head at the argument.

"It doesn't matter what he's done," she explained. "Seto, the gods chose him at birth. He has no real choice whether he wants to or not." Seto sighed and ran his fingers in his hair, turning away.

"They should choose someone else," he muttered. "Someone who actually stays _loyal_ to his _family..._" Asenath stared at the ground, the setting sun flashing over her body.

**.**

**.**

"They're not coming home."

This was the word throughout the city by the next day. Jono was sitting on a stone wall, splashing water onto his face when Tiet came running over, hopping onto the wall beside him.

"Did ya hear, Jono? They're stoppin' the search fer Yami now." Jono stayed silent. "It's incredible. They've been gone hardly seven days and 'den they call of tha _search_... Guess they really think he ain't comin' back, huh?" Jono sighed.

"No, he's not coming home..." he said in a soft voice. Tiet closed his eyes.

"It's... so sad..."

"They're either miles away from here..." Jono continued in the same voice, "...or they've died." He heard Tiet take in his breath sharply.

"Yeah..."

"Hey," Maia called from a few feet away. She pushed her way through some of the militia men and arrived at the wall, staring up at Jono and Tiet.

"New news has spread, boys," she said. With Jono's help, she was pulled up beside him.

"What didya hear, Maia?" Tiet asked, leaning forwards. Maia sighed.

"...Pharaoh believes Yami to be dead..."

"No!"

"...And now they'll send out a note asking the people of other countries to keep an eye out for him... So that... we can give him a proper burial." Maia finished in a much softer voice then when she started. Jono sighed.

"So, they've given up," he said. "They just... gave up."

"It's different this time, Jono," Maia said, placing her hand on top of his. "Asenath isn't here to resurrect him. There's hardly a chance for survival of a royal because... he's never had to work his entire life. You or me out there, we'd probably live twice as long as he would." Tiet sighed. Jono nodded slowly.

"...You're absolutely right, Maia," he said, closing his eyes. "You're absolutely right."

**.**

**.**

Pharaoh Ankumanukanon just couldn't take it anymore.

"It's getting too hard..." he said one evening to his wife. Anna sighed and leaned against the wall. "...It's getting too hard to say good-bye to him one more time..."

"People have been talking," Anna said slowly. "The theory is that he's leaving until the charges are lifted."

"Gone for a year?"

"I suppose so." Ankumanukanon rubbed his face with his hands, sighing deeply.

"Gone for a year... He'll probably shun us or something," Ankumanukanon said, smiling a bit. "It's just like him. Sometimes, I wonder why he didn't turn out to be more like Asenath or Sekhem. Not as... rebellious." Anna glanced up at him, tapping her fingers on the wall.

"He didn't come out like them because he was born with a huge duty placed on him," Anna explained softly. "Becoming Pharaoh? That's one of the hugest duties there is, Anku." Ankumanukanon nodded.

"Yes... he has to become used to it... I know he's scared..."

"He can't stay that way for long," Anna explained. She closed her eyes. "I just keep to the thought that, one day, he'll come home to us..."

**.**

**.**

_[Erm, oddness.__ Well, there's a taste of what's goin' on back home... Now, what about Yami and Teana, eh? o.o Next chap: Home at Last.]_

**_Oooh, note: in September's issue of "Money" magazine, my dad was featured in an article about being laid-off and surviving. They came today to take our picture of our family. Look for "Jim Stewart" in the article. The pic will either be one of my parents with me and my brother in the pool in the background, a group shot of us with me an Nick being wet with towels, or a pic of us, all grouped together in the grass. o-o Look for me -- I'm the girl. xD_**

**Shibby****-One**


	4. Home at Last

_Next chap, everyone n.n Naar, the new QuickEdit won't let me keep the periods as section markers… damn. Now what? Well, now the random, bolded Japanese lyrics are page markers. Gotta problem with that? I didn't think so._

**Light the Flame**

**Chapter Four**

**_Home at Last_**

It was a place no Egyptian could even being to imagine. A place so, _opposite_ of the black lands, it wasn't even funny.

A high mountain terrain; no monarchy at _all;_ tents bordered everywhere, and everyone was related. You lived with your _extended_ extended family. Your defense was the beautiful mountains around you. You provided for yourself. You usually had lighter features then most Egyptians did.

The general attitude was much calmer then Egypt ever could be.

Teana could feel the gentle, cool water being washed over her body. Mixed with spices, it tingled as someone gently rubber her cheek with their hand, spreading a type of medicine over it. Her golden eyes fluttered open early that morning, the sun just peeking over the high-altitude ledge.

The person caring for her was looking away when she awoke. Teana lifted her head gently, the vaguely familiar threads of an old blanket from her childhood thrown over her. The caretaker turned back to be shocked by Teana's awakening.

"Oh! You're awake!" the girl said, smiling. Teana rubbed her eyes and blinked, her vision blurry. That voice... it was so damn familiar...

"Could... Savannah? Is it... you?" Teana asked, the face coming together. A bright smile lit the girl's face, her light brown hair pulled back tightly. She leaned back and laughed, grasping Teana's hand.

"Ana," she whispered, close to Teana's face, "you've come home to us." Teana blinked again, smiling as she remembered her friend.

"Savannah!" Teana cried, her face lighting up. She was wrapped into a huge hug by the girl, the two laughing and giggling like little girls. Savannah's emerald eyes opened and settled on Teana. Teana was shocked they recognized her like they did.

"Oh, Teana... You came home..." she whispered, tears in her eyes. Teana was still shocked that she was looking into the face of her old friend.

Carefully, Savannah helped her out of the bed, supporting her weak body with her own.

"Savannah... Last time I saw you, you were a little girl," Teana said softly. Savannah grinned at her womanly body.

"So were you." Carefully, the two went to the flap of the colorful tent to step into the outside world. The familiarity of this place was so strong to Teana, she couldn't speak. Memories and thoughts came rushing back as the rows of tents, men with their colorful cloaks, fires and cooking and weaving and herding...

The fact that everyone here looked like _her..._

Teana closed her eyes and leaned on Savannah.

"I'm so glad I'm home."

**_

* * *

_**

News spread fast around the large village that 'Little Ana', as she was once called, had returned. A group of teenage boys, (who were actually her older brothers), had found the fourteen-year-old and Yami lying in the sand next to each other. They recognized Teana's light hair and skin at first, then recognized her face. They assumed Yami (who was obviously Egyptian) was with her, so they brought him along as well.

By midday, the people of the village all crowded around her as she sat on a blanket next to her mother, who was, gratefully, still alive.

"I don't go by Ana anymore," Teana said endlessly that day. "I haven't for a long time..." She beamed at everyone, the sun streaking through the trees, holding her arm gingerly in a sling. Her brothers, the ones that found her, anyway, sat around her in a circle, all praising their younger sister.

"Ana, I mean, Teana--"

"--What were you doing with that Egyptian boy--"

"--Where've you been--"

"--Did they hurt you--"

"--Are you alright--"

"Sati, Kenneth, be quiet," Teana's mother commanded in a soft but stern voice. Both boys fell silent. Teana gasped suddenly and turned to her mother. Everyone standing around leaned in to hear what she had to say.

"Mama, where's Yami--?"

"Who?" Her mother asked. Teana blinked. Some of the crowd began murmuring amongst themselves.

"Oh, he's that, that boy I was with when--"

"Oh, the Egyptian," her mother said disdainfully. She nodded to a far tent. "He was badly injured, so Kenneth put him over there. I believe you tended to him...?" the old woman asked, her question hanging. Kenneth blinked, then nodded vigorously, his brown ponytail swishing with the motion of his head.

"Yes, Mama, but I don't know if it'll help at all..."

"I don't think he's woken yet..." Sati offered hopefully. Teana gasped and leaped up, her arm twinging as she did. The crowd broke to let her through to Yami's tent, a deep crimson red with white stripes going along the bottom. She lifted the flap and disappeared within.

"Seems to me," Sati whispered to Kenneth, "That she likes him. A lot."

"Yeah, I know," Kenneth whispered back.

Inside, Teana looked around for a moment, since the dark color of the tent made everything dark for a few moments. Then... She saw a bed near the center, a pile of blankets drawn over what looked like a lump in the center of the bed.

Her heart pounding, Teana ignored her throbbing arm and ran over to the bed, kneeling beside it.

_Please,_ she begged in her mind, _don't be dead, just be asleep, don't be dead, don't be dead--_ She pulled the covers back to reveal... Yami.

She pulled it until his head and his torso were revealed. Teana took in breath quickly, thinking that he had indeed died. When she first saw him, it looked as if he weren't breathing. She leaned closer, and let out her breath in great relief to see that he was breathing. She leaned closely to his face, listening to him breathe deeply. Teana sighed. He was just asleep. As she listened...

She noticed that it sounded like it was a little difficult for him to breathe. Almost like, he had to work harder to draw air into his lungs then she... or anyone else had to. 1

She leaned back, and noticed that a long, crimson line was drawn down the length of his face, from his forehead to his chin, and she saw it kept going down the side of his neck until his collar bone. Teana traced it gently, feeling how it was slightly raised from the rest of his body.

It was a gash.

"Ooooh..." Teana murmured. "Ouch." At her voice and her touch, Yami stirred. He moaned a little and moved, turning his head a little towards her. Teana gasped and backed up.

Behind her, unbeknownst to her, Kenneth, Sati, and her youngest sister, Scenna, were peering into the tent by the flap. Scenna, who was born only a year before Teana's capture, still actually remembered Teana, which was amazing.

Yami's eyes fluttered open, focusing on Teana's face. He stared at her absently for a few moments, as if he didn't recognize her. Teana gasped--

He smiled. His eyes had adjusted to the dim lighting of the tent.

"Teana," he said hoarsely. He coughed and took a very deep breath, wincing and grinning at Teana. "How are you? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Where are we?" Yami wondered, sitting up a bit. Teana noticed his right arm had a blood-stained bandage on it.

"We're... Actually, Yami, we're in my homelands," she explained, smiling. Yami looked surprised.

"The place you told me about?"

Teana nodded. Yami smiled. He laid back in his bed and sighed deeply. He turned to her, drawing her face closer to his.

At this sudden movement, Kenneth, Sati and Scenna all leaned forward. They were acting as spies for everyone else in the village.

"This is the place where... You said..." Yami smiled boldly, and all three of Teana's siblings leaned forward--"The place where we could marry."

**_

* * *

_**

That night, a huge bonfire lit up the sky. Dancers and storytellers and singers from all over the community gathered. Yami was able to get the full story of these people in bits and pieces.

When all the little communities were together, they had nearly as much as the people of Egypt. However, they were spread out in communities in the mountains, communicating by people riding between them. Sometimes they all got up and moved their things and lived together in the "Great Valley" if they felt at all threatened by armies. Apparently, it's the only place in the mountains large enough to hold them all together.

_It must be huge,_ Yami though to himself.

He was accepted by everyone in the village right away, including Teana's mother.

Teana's mother, Annuay, had scars still from when men from a neighboring country came and kidnapped many of the young girls from the "Great Valley" many years ago. Teana had been wrenched from her arms, her right arm chopped up in the process. They ambushed and rescued most of the captives from the second day, but Teana was among the few captured that night. She was taken away.

After becoming accustomed to the cooler temperatures and the thin air of this place, Yami left the tent and was amazed at what he saw. Because what he and Teana were wearing was all torn up, he was given the clothing that someone of his age would wear here. Kenneth gave him a cloak make of fine blue hues, almost looking like a river. Underneath he wore a short white tunic with a white belt around his waist. Almost every man had some type of designed cloak to wear.

"It's supposed to look like a normal river, but you can pretend it's the Nile, Egyptian," Kenneth explained. "It's the only one that suites you right now. Yours is being made."

"I have one being made?" Yami asked in disbelief. "Really?" Teana, who was sitting beside him, nodded.

"I guess so..."

"Well, if you're staying for awhile, you have to dress the part, Egyptian," Kenneth said, grinning. Teana frowned.

"You know, Kenneth, he has a name."

"Yeah, I know. But I won't call him that until he's part of this family," he said. Yami blinked. "What, you don't think we didn't hear what you said earlier? About this being the place to marry?"

Yami's face immediately became pinker.

"That's what I thought," Kenneth said, smiling once more. He stood up. "You'll get it when you marry her..." and with that, he ran off into a dancing circle of people.

Yami and Teana sat on a pile of soft blankets, watching flames leap into the air and people dancing. Yami could tell by Teana's face she longed to dance as well, but her sling was holding her back. Yami noticed people running over to different groups and whispering to them, as if telling them some grand secret. Yami wondered what they were talking about.

At one point, the girl with the long brown hair and sweet face, Savannah, came over to them.

"Come on, Teana, dance!" she said, her skirts flailing. Teana shook her head sadly.

"Savannah, I can't, my injury--" she motioned towards it. Savannah sighed.

"Well, you better get well quick, 'cause you'll look damn foolish if you can't dance at your own wedding," she said, and left. Yami and Teana stared at each other.

"Kenneth likes to gossip," Teana said, breaking into a smile. They both laughed and shook their heads. Teana leaned against Yami, sighing intently. She felt his hands place onto her shoulders, keeping her still. His grip grew tighter, firmer, steadier...

He kissed her cheek lightly. Teana opened her eyes and find that Yami's face was right in front of her.

For the moment, everyone up dancing and singing and acting jovially wasn't there. Yami closed his eyes and drew her face to his, kissing her lips softly. It lasted no more than a few seconds, but when they broke apart, Teana leaned against his chest, the rhythm of his breathing lulling her to sleep...

She could feel something warming her... Was that Yami? Was it something else? It was so warm, so soft... She felt a warm heat radiating from somewhere near her... Around her... This heat surrounded her...

A soft beating... She could feel it, this gentle heart beat inside of someone... Who it was, she wasn't sure...

**_

* * *

_**

Yami opened his eyes. He was lying on his side, in his bed, a blanket thrown over him. He felt warm and comfortable, full from the night before. Yet...

There was something strange about what he was seeing... A large mass of brown...

Hair?

He blinked and pushed himself up more, to find his arm was trapped beneath Teana's body. She was right next to him, her back against his chest, his arm underneath her side, wrapped around her. Yami's other arm had been around her other side, so she was completely in his lock. Yami blinked groggily and gently pulled his arm out from beneath Teana. Teana moaned, opened her eyes, and rolled onto her back. She seemed surprised to see Yami beside her.

Yami made a quick mental check; it seemed all they did was sleep in the same bed, nothing else.

He sighed in relief.

"Yami...?" she asked, rubbing her eyes and lying on her back. She tilted her head his way. "Wha's going on...?"

"I dunno," Yami explained. "I guess someone must have moved us into my tent... or this tent, or... Whatever... Together... Because we fell asleep." Teana stretched and nodded, not fully understanding. She breathed deeply and fell back asleep, Yami sitting in the bed beside her. He smiled down at her.

Over the next few days, there was talk of a wedding being held. The news of it had spread throughout the village, and even into neighboring ones. Yami was sitting on a large rock, Kenneth teaching him how to control the horses (which would be his job, along with some other men his age), when Teana ran over to him one morning.

"Yamiiii!" she called, tripping over herself as she ran. Both Yami and Kenneth looked up.

"Yeah?" Yami called. Teana ran over, took his hands, and pulled him up.

"My mother set the wedding," she said, swinging her arms, which in turn, swung Yami's. Yami blinked, then he smiled greatly.

"Really?"

"Yes. It's in four nights, during the full moon." Teana seemed filled to the bursting point. She latched her arms around his body and leaned against his chest. Yami just held her, closing his eyes.

"I'm so excited," she whispered, sighing deeply. Yami smiled.

"Me, too."

**_

* * *

_**

**1 Yami being unable to breathe:** this is where physical science comes in :gasp: Well, anyway.

Yami is from Egypt, which is pretty much sea-level, altitude-wise. Teana is from somewhere high in the mountains, waaaaay above sea level. Because Yami lived in Egypt his entire life, and the air is muuuuuch thinner here, his lungs need a lot more of it because he isn't used to it. That's why he's breathing so hard; he'll do this until he becomes used to the air, which might take a few hours.

**2 This is the song that I'm using as page dividers. It's "the starry sky", from the Angelic Layer anime. Get used to it xP**

_Hmm, well, there's a taste of life in that made-up-place... Yesh... I made that allll up... XD Well, anyway, Unfortunetly for you TeanaxYami lovers, the next chap is BACK to Egypt to see how Aklia is doing... since her wedding would have happened already... :D Funness! Weeee! Next chap: What Could Have Been_

_TTFN_

**Shibby****-One**


	5. What Could Have Been

_Well, now we're back to __Egypt__, ne? Hmm, I wonder how Aklia feels... Gah, I have 'Ordinary Day' stuck in me head... BTW, since shcool is starting, I won't be updating as frequently T.T because I get home at 5. When soccer season ends, though, I'll have a lot more time to write, so don't worry, I'm not gone forever. n.n_

**Light the Flame**

**Chapter Five**

**_What Could Have Been_**

The mitsukai were in full bloom, their long, white petals stretching towards the sky. One broke off from the tree and fluttered down into the lap of the girl sitting beneath the tree. Aklia stared at it for a moment, then held it in her hand.

With a sigh, she pulled a petal off and crumpled it, letting the flower fall onto the ground. She then leaned back and closed her eyes, taking deep, shuddering breaths.

"Yami..." she whispered mournfully. "...Are you dead...?" For the Pharaoh had called a memorial service for him. The worry of searching for him had dragged the entire city down, and now... It was time to put his memory to rest and place the past behind them.

Aklia's arms shook heavily as she lifted her knees and cried into them. Her heart pained her; the person she loved had left, left her in the background... to go off with some foriegn servant...

_He never loved me,_ Aklia thought. _It was a one-way feeling..._ She laid her head back and thought about that day when he kissed her... She had thought everything was perfect, that he loved her as she loved him...

She could still hear his voice, speaking softly, explaining the color scheme of the very garden she was in...

She glanced at red, orange and yellow flowers, blooming with long, large petals and a bright decor.

_"Those were planted when my sister, Asenath, was born. She was born at dusk, when the sun is red."_

...And the bushes, trees, little pink flowers...

_"Those were planted for Sekhem, because he was born a weakling, and those trees represent strength." _

Aklia was sitting amongst the tall blue and purple flowers, laying back against the mitsukai with the delicate flowers around her. She touched one, a drop of dew sliding off a petal.

_"...And those were planted when I was born, because I was born at night during the spring rains..."_

"Atem," she whispered, "you are no longer a part of this garden..." She stood up, her arms shaking. Why was she wasting time mourning over someone who probably wasn't even dead? She stalked away instead.

As she walked through the palace, she didn't pay attention to where she was going--

_WHAM._

She collided with Asenath in a hallway, both of them reeling back, looking at each other with surprise.

"Oh, Aklia, hi," Asenath said, but Aklia angrily stormed by her. All she did was take a glance and leave. Asenath, knowing that Aklia was hurting from Yami's departure, didn't scold her for not apologizing to a royal for walking into her.

Aklia shut her eyes in case any more people in Yami's family showed up. She walked this way until she reached the empty hall that her room was located in, and ran in, slamming the door behind her.

Tears were in her eyes; her thoughts were all jumbled angrily, and she fell onto her bed, crying.

The reason she couldn't look at Asenath was because Asenath and Yami resemble each other. It pained her to see any trace of him, even if it was his sister. Her entire body felt numb and useless.

_Why did you do it? You knew I loved you! You, you... bastard! I hate you! How could I ever have loved you? How could I? No! I couldn't have! Not a lying, cheating bastard!_

Her thoughts continued like this for awhile, lying on her stomach, crying as hard as she knew how. Eventually, her arms and her bedcovers were soaked through with salty tears. She breathed deeply, her eyes dry of anymore tears. She was hurting too much to care.

"You... made me... feel... so... _useless..._" she whispered in fragments. "It's... as if... I'm... _nothing..._" She took another deep, shuddering breath. "I hate you... And... I still love you!" With this thought, a new wave of tears came, and she laid her head on her arms, sobbing into them without a thought. "I hope you die, dammit! Die!"

**_

* * *

_**

A few more days past. Aklia's family were coming to Egypt, to see if they could do anything. They were going to wait just a little longer... Surely, he would come home when his sentence was gone...

"Anku," Anna said one night as they retreated to the upper reaches of the palace, "his sentence won't be lifted until a _year_ has passed. Do you think they will actually wait an entire _year?_" Ankumanukanon sighed and closed his eyes.

"I don't know, Anna. I truly don't know." He leaned against the wall. "All we can hope for now is that he returns at some point…" his voice sounded strained and tired, as if this were something he knew was to be expected. Anna caught onto the ploy this time.

"…You really do believe him to have died, don't you?" she said softly, taking his hand. Ankumanukanon didn't answer. "It's alright, you know, if he has died. Who knows; maybe this life just wasn't right for him."

"It doesn't matter if it _wasn't right for him,_" Ankumanukanon said with a new colder edge. "He was the first born son; he was chosen by the Sennen Puzzle. It's his _duty_ to do this." He closed his eyes. "And for that, I can't forgive him. Alive… or dead."

With that, he walked away, leaving Anna stunned and silent in the hallway.

**_

* * *

_**

_Meh, short, but I can't wait to type the next chappy n.n! I'm so exciiiiiited… Guess what? The next chappy is YAMI AND TEANAS WEDDING:happy dance: Yaaaaay! They're gettin' maaaarriiiiied… Weeee! Next chap: A White Wedding Ooohh I can't waaaaait! Oh, but ya'll gonna hafta wait quite awhile, I'm not updating again until after school starts:wags finger at everyone: Nyah nyah! September 1st, yo:Dances:_

**Shibby****-One**


	6. The White Wedding

_Eep!__ Now, let's see… Oh, yes, this is Yami and Teana's wedding! n.n This is gonna be soooo funn:D Oh, and, erm... this is a semi-lemony chap. Dun worry, the rating stays, just thought you might like to know!_

**Light the Flame**

**Chapter Six**

**_The White Wedding_**

"Hey, Egyptian! So, tonight is the biiiig night, eh?" Kenneth asked, clapping his hand onto Yami's shoulder. Both Sati and Kenneth, Teana's brothers, refused to call him anything more or less then "Egyptian" until he was "rightfully part of our family."

Yami grinned, his cheeks going red.

"Yeah, I erm… Guess," he said, nervousness taking over and he looked away. He was actually excited. He had heard from someone here that spring weddings, or, actually, _any_ wedding was beautiful up here in the mountains…

It was mid afternoon when Kenneth returned from his job, whatever it was. Yami knew it was something along the lines of his own duties…

_…It's your duty to be Pharaoh one day…_

Yami pushed that thought out of his mind.

Kenneth grinned. He was obviously excited about his younger sister. Here, family meant everything. _Everything_. Which meant that, having Teana back, the spirits of these people rose greatly. Everyone was excited, everyone knew about it… and everyone had seen how much those two were in love.

Just the night before, when the wedding date and everything had been decided and announced, they had both blushed immensely.

…However, later on that night, Yami was sitting on a blanket in the pitch blackness around the large bonfire, hand-in-hand with Teana, leaning on her, asleep.

All morning, Teana and Yami had been forbidden to see each other. It was "bad luck", apparently. Yami sat sullenly, wondering what he was going to have to do. He knew enough about Egyptian weddings; what went on at one like this?

"Okay, Egyptian, we've pitched the damn thing," Sati said, a dagger being slipped into his pocket. Yami looked up, confused as he approached. The sun was beaming between the leaves of the tree Yami was sitting beneath.

"Huh? Pitched what?" he asked, blinking. Sati scoffed.

"God, Egyptian, you are the most ignorant person I've met in a long time," Sati proclaimed. He sighed and sat down beside him. "The tent that you and lil' Teana'll be living in." A sudden understanding washed over Yami.

"Ohhh…"

"Yeah… Get it now?" Sati asked, grinning. He leaned back. Yami closed his eyes.

The two sat silently for awhile, Sati watching Yami mull over and think about what he was going to do.

"You know, you made Teana so happy," Sati said after awhile. Yami opened his eyes and turned to him.

"I did?" Sati nodded.

"I haven't seen her this happy in… I don't know… _Years…_" he said, looking out over the little village. He looked out into a field where horses were grazing. He smiled.

"Hey, look at that. Talim is being silly again," he noted, nodding towards a horse. Yami raised his eyebrows.

"Uh, do you mean the horse…?" Sati laughed.

"No, no, the little child _behind_ the horse," he explained, pointing. Yami craned his neck to see.

Sure enough, sitting in the long grass behind the horse, was a little child. A young girl. She was just sitting there, picking flowers from around her. Her long brown hair was pulled back and she was already half-dressed for the wedding that night, wearing a long, white skirt and a colorful, woven top.

"She'll hafta change that colored thing for tonight," Sati explained. "Traditionally, everyone wears white. Oh yeah, and the marrying couple wear white and gold." He cast a glance over at Yami and realized Yami was staring blatantly at the field, watching the little girl. He seemed to have a longing look in his eyes…

"Sorry, it's not possible, as you know," Sati said, his voice changing tones. Yami turned to him.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Sati blinked.

"You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"Teana's secret."

"What secret?" Yami asked, getting alarmed. Sati laughed.

"Calm down, calm down, it's something we got over long ago." He cleared his throat and leaned closer to him. "When she was just a little, little girl, younger then Talim even, she got into…. An accident. And, somehow, it did something to her… and now she's unable to have children. Ever." Yami was taken aback, and clearly surprised.

"Really? But I thought she really wanted one… She told me so herself…"

"Yeah, well, we always wish for what we can't have…." Sati said, leaning back and stretching his arms. Yami looked down at the ground.

"Oh…" Sati grinned.

"Listen, Egyptian, it's not a huge deal…" Yami looked at him, smiling.

"Yes, I know that, I just hope that accident didn't ruin her general health… What am I saying? She survived being a slave for many years! Of _course_ she's alright!" Yami said, relieving himself of the worry. He sighed.

The old anticipation of marriage that night came back into full swing, his body tingling with excitement. He turned to Sati, a huge grin plastered on his face.

"Umm, Sati?"

"Yeeeeep?"

"What, um, exactly goes _on _during a wedding?"

**_

* * *

_**

Teana was just as anticipated as Yami. Annuay was tying a piece of white fabric in a knot on her left shoulder, letting the fabric sway down around her arm. The dress crossed her chest under her right arm, fastening in the back. The skirt fell down the length of her body to the ground, where it swayed around her ankles. Teana spun in a circle, the dress spreading out around her body.

"Mama…" Teana breathed. She turned to her mother with excited eyes. "This is the traditional design?"

"Oh, yes," Annuay answered, beaming. "I wore this when I married your father. All the women of this _village_ wore this design when they were married. Oh," Annuay gasped, as if realizing something, "and Yami isn't from here, so he'll be exceptionally surprised to see you in such a beautiful outfit." Teana beamed, her face going red.

She changed out of the dress, back into her blue one and left the tent with her mother following. Annuay glanced into the horizon.

"He's there," she said, nodding towards far trees. Teana quickly looked the other way, not wanting to spoil tradition. The two walked towards the opposite direction, into the heart of the village. Wood was being collected for the fire; blankets were being spread out, and last-minute weaving was going on for extra comfort. The traditional gifts were things the new couple would likely need – blankets, beds, furnishings, maps, bowls and jugs…

Teana looked over at the large, red-blue tent that had just been pitched. For them. She sighed.

"It's so small!" she exclaimed. She was about to ask why, when her face fell and she stared at the ground. Annuay's smile faded when she saw Teana's face.

"Oh, dear Teana," she said to her daughter, "it's alright. I know… you wanted so badly to have a child…" Teana said nothing. She just took one last glance at the tent, and then continued on.

"So, Mama," Teana started, tossing the thought of her child out of her head, "what will happen at this wedding? It's been so long since I've seen one…" Annuay chuckled.

"Well, first, you'll come from over there," she said, pointing to one side of the fire, "and Yami will come from the opposite side. The fire won't be lit yet. Then, Nauta will do the usual bit… explain where you two come from, what you've endured together… Then he'll bless you… and the fire will be lit." Annuay smiled brightly. "If the fire lights, you'll have a wonderful marriage. If it doesn't, it will fail. Easy as that." Teana gulped. Annuay laughed. "Don't worry, child. Only one wedding I've been to – and I've been to many – has had that happen."

"Who's was it?" Teana wondered. Annuay chuckled.

"Kenneth." Teana stopped short and turned to her mother.

"Kenneth? When the hell did he marry?" Teana asked, surprised.

"Only last year, dear. My, that marriage would have been a failure… couldn't have met a vainer girl…" Annuay smiled to herself. Teana blinked, and then sighed.

"And, of course, afterwards will be a grand party… into the night… Then we all go home and sleep the next day away." Both women laughed at this thought. All the hard-working men, sleeping away a perfectly good day…

**_

* * *

_**

It was dusk.

It was time.

Teana was in her mother's tent, sitting on her bed, wearing the white dress Annuay made. Scenna was sitting beside her, giggling and talking non-stop. Savannah kept hushing her and was fastening flowers into her hair. Teana didn't even notice.

"Hmm, that seems like enough," Savannah said, satisfied. Teana looked up and saw she had a bit more flowers in her hands. One was a long-petaled flower… The petals were white…

"Wait!" she cried. Savannah turned. "Savannah, could you… put the white one in my hair, too?" she asked. Savannah shrugged.

"Sure." As she did so, many women rushed in and out, bringing food or blankets or cloaks with them.

Meanwhile, in Kenneth's tent, nearly on the other side of the village, Yami was pulling what seemed like a white cloak on. It was pure white, which was supposed to represent purity.

"You can't have secrets," Kenneth explained, tying Yami's gold sash. "That was the problem with me and Nitidus."

"No… Nitidus was just a big ol' bitch," Sati said, grinning. Kenneth threw a blanket at him.

"Yeah, well, you shut up," he said, grinning as well. Yami had been informed of what would happen; he was just so nervous…

"Yami, your face is as red as clay," Solis, another of Teana's brothers (just how many did she have?), said. He grinned and tossed water onto his face.

"Thanks," Yami said, smiling. "I'm just as red as can be…"

"Guess so." Solis fastened Yami up a bit, and then stood. A man had pulled open Kenneth's tent and stepped in.

"We're ready," he said. "Teana's already coming out."

Yami gulped.

This was it.

**_

* * *

_**

Neither of them could believe it. The entire village was out, ranging from little, restless children to old men and women. Yami was in awe as he saw Teana. His heart sped up, his shoulders shaking. She was... so beautiful...

The setting sun made for a beautiful setting. When Yami reached her, he took her hand. Both of them clad in white and gold, he bumped his hip against hers. Nauta, the man who would preform the ceremony, walked up to them and smiled.

He began talking about how Teana was taken, and brought to Kemet, and Yami saved her and brought her here. As he did, Yami couldn't help but think that maybe, at this very moment, had this had never happened, he would either be marry_ing_ Aklia or married.

"...You brought her home to us, Yami," Nauta said. He stopped. "Yami doesn't sound like a Prince's name. What is your true name?" Yami cleared his throat.

"Atem." Nauta smiled.

"Ahh, a name fit for a prince... Well, Atem, we thank you for bringing our beloved daughter home." Teana beamed and looked up at Yami. "It seems that both of you have had quite an adventure, from what I've heard. Considering it's all true," Nauta added as an afterthought. Yami smiled as well. Nauta nodded to Teana. "Sennaniakah..."

Teana nodded back, agreeing that it was indeed, true.

Nauta turned to Kenneth, who was holding a lit torch. "Kenneth, if you will..." he motioned to the large pile of wood and leaves that would be a grand bonfire.

Nodding, Kenneth tossed his torch onto the base of the pile. At first, nothing happened. Teana felt her heart stop.

_Is it--_

A curl of smoke rose up, and flames could be seen, licking the bottom of the pile.

Teana laughed out loud as the crowd cheered and clapped. Kenneth looked relieved as Sati came over and thumped him on the back. Teana latched her arms around Yami's neck, smiling and laughing. Yami wrapped his arms around her waist, spinning around with her in his arms. The fire grew larger.

Yami stopped spinning, and looked down at her. She opened her eyes and beamed the largest, most beautiful smile he'd ever seen from her. She jumped up and, to his surprise, kissed him. He was surprised at first, but let himself become enveloped into her kiss, letting her back on the ground. His arms traveled to her neck, his hand on her face. She pulled away, smiling at him, tears rolling down her face.

People were singing in the background, but neither of them could hear it. Yami closed his eyes.

"I love you," he whispered. Teana put her forehead to his.

"I love you, too, Yami," she whispered back. Both grinned.

They were now... husband and wife.

**_

* * *

_**

The fire had grown even larger then before. Food had been laid out before them, blankets laid out so people could sit on them. Everyone had was wearing some white, some color, since Yami and Teana were the only ones supposed to be adorning all white.

It was a few hours later, and the singing had continued. Teana and Yami were standing in front of the fire, Teana teaching Yami a dance.

"Okay, then... Ahh!" Yami cried, slipping and falling. He reached out to grab Teana and dragged her down as well, the two laughing.

"Okay, I think you did that wrong," Teana said, giggling. She stood up. Yami did as well. Instead, he reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist, picking her up. Laughing, she draped her arms around his neck and Yami spun her around once more.

"Whoa," Yami said, stopping, holding his head. He was just a bit dizzy...

A flute began playing somewhere. Teana looked over to see people were sitting back down and clapping, calling for Teana. Teana, still holding both of Yami's hands, smiled and laughed.

"What are they doing?" Yami asked. Teana giggled.

"They want me to do my dance," she explained, stepping away from him. "Sit down and I'll show you." Cheers erupted when Yami sat down and Teana ran to the front of the crowd before the dancing flames. Savannah was playing her flute expertly, smiling as the notes poured out. Scenna was standing beside her, clapping in beat. She opened her mouth, and began to sing.

"_Wow to the eyesight and the whimsical desiiiiire..._ _For what the eye sees, desire will inspiiiire..._" As she sang, Yami watched as Teana did the same dance she did for him before when they met on the banks of the Nile. The same one from the myth.

Yami couldn't believe his eyes.

She was amazing. With Scenna singing and Savannah playing, Teana was spinning with all her beauty and might, her skirt flaying out magnificently.

Yami was speechless, his mouth hanging open, amazed.

_"...I'll make a dagger tempered with glowing white fiiiiire... Pierce the seeing eye, release the soul from hiiiiiire..."_ A few last notes on her flute, and the song was done. Teana stopped, breathing hard, a smile playing over her face at the applause and cheers.

Teana walked over to where Yami was sitting and sat beside him, panting.

"Well?" she asked, smiling. "How was it?"

"It was beautiful," he said, kissing her before she could say any more.

**_

* * *

_**

It was past midnight when the party ceased. Almost all little children were falling asleep in their mother's laps, and even adults were falling asleep. The fire was dying as well.

Yami was sitting up, watching the fire with lazy eyes. Teana leaned on him, her eyes closed. She was sleeping soundly, as she had been for the past hour. People were starting to go home.

"Teana, dear," Yami whispered, shaking her a bit. Teana blinked open her eyes. "Time to go." Teana yawned and nodded, stretching her back and smiling up at Yami.

"I'm... really tired," she whispered, leaning against him once more. Sighing, Yami scooped her smaller body into his arms, her head laying against his arm. He struggled a bit, but was able to hold her steady.

"Good night!" People were calling to one another, and almost every person who walked by congratulated the couple.

All their new belongings had already been moved to the tent that Sati, Kenneth and others had pitched that morning. Yami pushed the flap back and stepped inside.

He reached out and lit the flame of a small candle inside of an iron lamp. It was something that was new; candles inside of iron fastenings that made for a good, low light source.

Yami laid Teana down on the bed, and she curled into a little ball, asleep once more. Yami flopped down on the other side, closing his eyes. He was tired as well...

He remembered that morning when he woke to find Teana in his bed. He had been surprised, but kind of anticipated as well. He turned his head to look at the sleeping girl. Her body was moving slowly, her breaths deep. Yami smiled. She was fast asleep.

"I'm tired as well... I should go to sleep too..." he said, snuffing the candle in the lamp. He rolled over onto his side and watched Teana sleep. He began to drift off as well... When he realized that Teana's breathing pattern had changed...

The lamp came back on. Startled, Yami opened his eyes groggily and rubbed them, trying to wake up. He sat up partially to see Teana gone.

"Teana...?" he called to no one. "Hello?"

"Boo!" Teana whispered, pouncing on him and laughing. Yami, surprised, fell over laughing as well. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her down beside him. Yami was surprised at how awake Teana looked; just a few minutes ago she was sound asleep...

Or was she?

She pulled the blanket out from under herself and examined the woven colors.

"See this? My mother and Scenna did it," she explained, sliding under it. She sighed contentedly. "It's so soft..." Yami slid under as well, and instantly agreed with her. It was very soft, and light as well... and it was the most beautiful thing he'd seen so far...

He laid right next to Teana, so close it seemed as if they were conjoined. Teana closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them. She sat up partially, propelling herself up with her right arm. Yami sat up as well, watching her.

"Teana...?" he asked. She had a sudden different gleam in her eyes.

"This was something I wanted to do before..." she said in a soft voice. She stretched her legs, then rolled over, so she was on top of Yami, startling him into laughter.

"Ow," he said playfully, lying back down. He knew what her intentions were. Teana sat up, but she was still on him. She put her hands on her hips and smiled. Yami blinked up at her.

"Hello," she said.

"Hi," Yami answered back. Teana giggled, then leaned forward and kissed him.

"I love you," he whispered to her. He placed his hands around her neck, and then drew them down the length of her body... Teana kissed his forehead.

"You know... I can't have children," she said, a sad tone to her voice. Yami nodded.

"I know. Sati told me. But..." He untied the part of fabric that went over her shoulder in the traditional fashion. She laid full body on top of him, her nose against his.

"Yeah?"

"...My father always said something about the gods changing the rules just a bit for royalty," Yami said. "So maybe... just maybe... they'll bend the rules for you, just one time..." Teana rolled over so she was beside Yami, her body pressed against his. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You think so?"

"You were always driving me nuts with your talk about having children, for Ra's sake they'd better," he whispered to her. Teana giggled.

"I'm sorry... Did it bother you?"

"Only the first seventeen times. After that, I got used to it." Teana beamed and kissed his lips again.

"Maybe they will," she said. She smiled at Yami. "... Doesn't hurt to try..."

"No, guess not," Yami said, and they both giggled. She placed her hands on his cheeks, and kissed him again. In a breathy whisper, Teana said

"...I wanted to... do this before..."

"I know," Yami whispered back, and with another kiss, rolled her onto her side. She giggled and allowed him to kiss her. She wanted him to explore every inch of her, and she him, so they would know each other like they knew their souls.

**_

* * *

_**

"I could have _sworn_ that it was a different color! Damn!" Teana cried the next morning. She was sitting on the ground, cross-legged, fiddling with some yarn she had dyed. She and Scenna had collected the plants to make the dye, but it wasn't as dark as intended.

She was sitting outside the tent she shared with Yami, wearing her normal tunic-dress. She frowned.

"Hey, Sati, get your ass over here!" She yelled. It was early in the morning, the sun barely rising. Sati, rubbing his eyes, walked over to where Teana was sitting.

"My, you're up early," he said, staring down at her. "I swear, you have more energy then... then everyone here put together," he said, at a loss for better comparison. "I would have thought you, like everyone else, would be tired after last night."

_So did I,_ Teana thought, remembering the activities of last night. She frowned up at Sati. "I'm not everyone."

"Obviously not," he said, scoffing. Teana stuck her tongue out as his back. "God sakes, your husband is still asleep!" he exclaimed.

"Probably not, with all you're yelling," Kenneth yelled from across the way.

"Shut up!" Both Sati and Teana called. Their family was a very, erm... loud one.

They were right. Yami, who had been still asleep when Teana got up that morning, was lying on his back in the bed, the blanket pulled to his waist. He was staring at the ceiling, his hands behind his head, smiling and listening to the argument outside.

"Damn, I need more of this plant!" Teana was saying to Sati. "Your horses eat this shit. Go get some!"

"Why me? Send Yami. He works there too."

"He's still asleep. He's gotten up early every day since he got here; give him some slack, we just got married last night..."

"Which is why you should be asleep."

"I'm not tired!"

"Hell you aren't. If I have to force you..." Yami chuckled to himself.

_Well, now that I'm awake, I can't just lie here all day,_ he thought. He sat up, then remembered he wasn't wearing anything. "Hmm... where'd that cloak go... Oh wait..." He snapped his fingers as he remembered the one presented to him last night. "Okay... where'd _that_ one go..."

After running around for a few moments, trying to find his scattered clothing, he was able to pull on his new cloak and step outside.

The new one was a map of Kemet; buildings made of limestone and granite, streets and villages, the Nile flowing by through a vast field of workers... And sand, boundless, endless sand...

"Oh, good morning, Yami," Sati said, surprised to see him step outside. Yami grinned. Teana looked up at him and smiled.

"By any chance, were you still sleeping?" Kenneth asked as he came walking over. Yami gave a chuckle.

"I used to be... Teana and Sati fighting woke me up." The two glared at each other, then turned away. Yami yawned and rubbed his eyes, still half asleep.

"Well, now that you're awake, might as well get to those horses, eh, Yami?" Sati asked, standing straight and stretching. Yami nodded sullenly.

"I suppose so..." he muttered, shifting his shoulders. Sati stumbled away, but Yami sat down next to Teana. He kissed her cheek.

"Good morning," he whispered. Teana smiled. "I heard you get up this morning. The sun wasn't even up yet. Why'd you get up so early?" Teana fiddled with the yarn in her hands.

"...I don't really know..." she answered back. She leaned on him, closing her eyes. The couple just sat there in the morning light, Teana feeling like she was the only one in the world to be so lucky as to have a husband like hers.

_...I love him so much..._

**_

* * *

_**

_n.n Awww... That was soooo adorable:Squee:_

_Moving right along now.__ Well, so, they married! FINALLY! -.- I thought it would never friggen happen. And yes, I **did** write the story... Anyway. Well, that was magicaly now, wasn't it? I certainly think it was! Next chap shows the passage of time from the moment Yami and Teana left until... whenever it picks up again o.O :Shrug:_

_n.n__ I'm done. Next chap: Nikoyaka kanushimi. Tata—_

**_Oooh_****_, wait! September 6th (Labor day!) Is me birthday! Shibby will be 15! Wooo:runs around waving little flagz flashing "1989": Wooohoo! Sos… ehh… early birthday to meeee!_**

**Shibby****-One**


	7. Nikoyaka Kanushimi

_Weeeee! Well, now they're married... lesse.. What else happens, eh:Wonder wonder: It's the passage of time from the moment they left until... whenever I decided to stop it. n.n_

**Light the Flame**

**Chapter Seven**

**_Nikoyaka Kanushimi_**

From the moment Yami and Teana left Kemet, all had been chaos. At least, for a little while. At first, everyone was on high alert, thinking the two lovers would return to the palace. After a few months, people began to come down from high alert. Time passed.

Four months. Six months. Eight months. Sometime in between there, Maia gave birth to her first child, a baby girl whom Jono randomly named "Misora". It wasn't until then that the first full blast of the passage of time had hit.

Cuddling her new baby, Maia remembered when she first told Teana she was pregnant. At the time, she had been only a month pregnant, maybe a little more.

Now, her daughter was a month old.

"It's amazing, isn't it," Maia said one night, rocking the crying baby to sleep. Jono looked up at her.

"What is?" he asked.

"How long it's been since they left. It's been nearly ten months. Almost a year." Jono sat up straight, his thoughts on them. How were they? Were they even still alive?

After awhile, people began to forget the Prince and the Servant Girl. More months, more seasons passed... Until they found themselves in the middle of spring once again. When this had all started.

It didn't occur to anyone until Asenath stepped outside one morning to find her mother's garden full and blooming. She half expected Yami to be sitting amongst them like he usually was, and recieved a bit of a shock when he wasn't.

It had been a full year.

Asenath stared at the plants, looking at the dark blues and violets that had been planted in honor of Yami's birth. She folded her arms and closed her eyes.

...By now, their sentences had been lifted... They could come home...

"Please," Asenath whispered to the wind, falling to her knees. "Please, Yami, come home..."

However, in Teana's homelands, Yami had barely noticed a years' passing. It didn't occur to _him_ until Teana attacked him with an armful of white mitsukai flower blossoms one evening.

"It's spring!" she cried, throwing them over him. Yami laughed and fell onto a blanket, a large fire being lit for a party that night. Teana laughed and stuck a blossom in her hair.

"In a few more weeks, it will have been a year since our marriage," she said, sitting next to him. Yami took her hand.

"Really?"

"Yes. The end of spring..."

"...and the beginning of summer..." Yami finished for her, making her beam with pride. Yami closed his eyes.

_...Spring..._

He had a fleeting image of sitting in his mother's garden, a girl dressed in white sitting by his side-- asking about the flowers--

_--Aklia--_

"Hello! Are you in there?" Teana called, tapping his forehead. "You're spacing out again!" Yami, who had matured over the year from all the hard work he'd been doing, just smiled.

So spring passed. Summer came. Yami and Teana didn't give two thoughts about their sentences, or Kemet in general. And Kemet didn't give a thought about the two fugitives either.

Except Asenath.

She noticed how no one mentioned Yami on his birthday. And no one even so much had thought of him on the day he left...

Except for the fact she heard someone crying late that night...

So another six months. Then ten had passed. Then another year...

It had been two years since their departure.

Asenath, who was now almost twenty-three, leaned against a wall in the palace one spring morning. She noted dimly that spring meant something in her heart...

Her eyes widened.

She almost forgot Yami.

"Asenath!" A voice called from behind her as she stood against the wall. She turned slightly, letting Sekhem run up beside her. He recently turned twelve, and had been praised by everyone in the city lately. He was doing very well for all the years he had to make up; he was catching up to where Yami had been in training, and Yami had been training since he was very young.

"Good morning, Sekhem," Asenath said, patting his head in a degrading fashion. She still couldn't believe how tall he had gotten; he probably cleared Yami by a couple of inches already. (It wasn't that big of a shock; Yami had inherited his mother's height... Whereas Asenath and Sekhem were both towers, like their father.)

Sekhem frowned. He looked out at the courtyard and leaned on another portion of the wall. Asenath wondered what he wanted to say... He almost never said anything to her anymore...

"It's been two years," he said softly. Asenath turned to him. He had his head bowed, one hand over his face. Asenath grew concerned.

"Sekhem? Did you..." she trailed off as Sekhem lifted his head.

Tears streamed down either side of his face.

"As-senath... N-n-nefer-Asen!" he cried, flinging himself onto her. She gently wrapped her arms around his back. She rubbed his back gently as he cried into her shoulder.

"Sekhem, it will be alright…" She sniffed. "I miss him as well…" Sekhem breathed deeply, tears still rolling down his face.

"…He's p-probably dead," he muttered. "Dead, buried in the s-sand somewhere… I don't understand… I wished… I hoped… I prayed… why didn't it w-work?" He asked, looking up at his sister. Asenath closed her eyes. "I-I'm glad no one's h-here to se-see me like this..."

"Because, Sekhem. He hasn't died just yet." Sekhem blinked at her, his mouth falling open into a smile. Asenath smiled gently at him.

"Are you serious? How do you know?" She pulled her arms away from her brother and looked out at the courtyard once more.

"Because… He is miles away… forgotten his life here… However… he is still my brother, I am still his sister… and we still have a link… a bond… and I know… he's still alive out there, somewhere…" Sekhem looked up at her face, into her eyes.

"…You've seen his future…" he said slowly. "You should know where he is…" he crossed his arms. "Tell me."

"Can't," Asenath said lightly, turning away from the window. She grinned down at Sekhem. "Not until twenty-four hours before it happens, Little Brother." And once again, she patted his head and was gone.

**_

* * *

_**

Yami couldn't believe it. His fifteenth birthday had come and passed that winter… He was now sitting on his bed, looking down at his wife of two years. He couldn't believe how much he had changed. He actually wondered if his family would recognize him...

Teana was sleeping soundly, curled into a little ball. Yami pulled a blanket from the ground and threw it over her shoulders, covering her bare top. (Neither of them were wearing anything, actually.) Yami, sitting with the woven blanket to his waist, couldn't fall asleep. He looked down at the blanket, always amazed at the beautiful job Annuay and Scenna had down with their weaving. He glanced at Teana.

She, of course, had fallen asleep quickly, like she did all the time. Whenever she got the chance to sit down she'd feel tired. He smiled down at her. He pushed her hair over her shoulder so he could get a better view of her face. She was breathing very deeply and just sleeping, one hand beneath her face, the other lying before her.

Yami had very much wanted to make love to her before, long ago.

But now that he'd _done _it… and tonight was no exception…

Yami lay down, staring at the ceiling. His thoughts somehow fell upon his family in Kemet. He wondered.

How were they? Was Sekhem doing alright? Was Asenath? His mother and father? What about all the people appointed to him as priests? What would become of them? Would they become Sekhem's priests? Or would new ones be appointed?

Seto wouldn't like that idea very much… Yami laughed to himself. He shifted his arms so his hands were behind his head. He smiled.

His elbow hit the back of Teana's head. Opening her eyes groggily, she turned so she was on her back, yawning.

"Oh! I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" Yami asked, glancing at her. Teana shrugged.

"You're still awake?"

"I can't stop thinking about my family back in Kemet," Yami explained, returning his gaze to the ceiling. Teana looked from him to the ceiling as well.

"This is the first time you've mentioned them," she said softly. She smiled to herself. "I knew that there would be no way you could forget them..." Yami turned to her.

"You knew that?"

"Oh, yes. Everyone knew how much you adored and admired your family." She smiled at him. "I couldn't believe that you didn't miss them. I knew that was an act, Yami. I'm not foolish."

"I'm not saying you are," he said, brushing her hair out of her face. "I know you're not foolish. I just..."

Teana's hip bumped his and she shuffled closer.

"...I just miss them... a lot," he explained, looking at his hands before him. "There is no way I could forget or hate them. I love them so much..." he turned on his side to face her. Teana blinked. Yami sat up instead.

"It's..." he sighed. "They gave me a life." Teana nodded. "I mean... It's hard to explain. They _cared_ for me. They... they _created_ me, who I am, my personality, what I look like... From... From the moment I was conceived, I was suppose to be Pharaoh," he said, clenching his fists. "It's... such a strong, powerful, responsibility... I... don't know if I can do it... And I feel like I owe that to them..." Teana sat up as well, drawing the blanket up over her breasts.

"I understand," she said simply, smiling. "You think you owe them so much... Especially your mother and father... because they _did_ create you." Yami closed his eyes.

"Do you know how many people in that city would give _anything_ to be me? The Pharaoh's successor?" He sighed. "And I gave it away... I broke my mother's heart... My father is probably _furious..._ My sister, my brother... I don't even--" Yami's eyes bulged.

_Asenath!_

"Yami? What is it?" Teana asked. Yami stared ahead, thinking hard.

_Asenath and I have a link. A bond from the time we were both very young, when we were forced together... She knows when I'm sick and when I'm well... If I'm happy or sad... If I'm alive... or Dead..._ He clapped his hands together. Teana raised her eyebrows. _If she knows all that about me, can I sense things about her? Maybe give me an idea of how my family is? _

Teana watched with mild interest. Yami seemed to be running many things through his head. His face changed, his hands clenched into fists. Teana laid back and watched this silent fight with himself ensue beside her.

_Can I…? I really hope I can,_ he wished silently. _Just to be sure…_ He laid back, his eyes trained on the ceiling. _I hope…_

"Something's wrong, isn't it?" Teana asked softly. Yami shook his head.

"No… just wondering about something…" he said, smiling at her. He leaned over and gently kissed her forehead. Teana closed her eyes and fell back asleep, leaving Yami to wonder in silence.

**_

* * *

_**

The next morning, Teana could _not_ concentrate on _anything_ she did. She was aware of something in the back of her mind, something nagging her to go see her mother…

"Just go," Savannah said finally, after watching Teana fiddle with her hands for ten minutes straight. Teana shot a scared glance at Savannah.

"Are you sure…?" she asked tentatively. Savannah nodded, her short hair brushing against her cheeks. "She might ease your mind." Teana nodded, standing up. She glanced upwards into the fields were the horses were kept, then trudged down the dirt road, down to where her elderly mother was.

"Mama," she called, stepping around a couple of playing toddlers, "Something's wrong." Annuay looked up, pleasantly surprised.

"Really? What could be wrong, Teana?" she asked. Teana shifted her weight. She was sixteen; should she really be so edgy?

Teana sat down next to her mother on the ground. Annuay brushed Teana's hair away from her face, and slid her hand down her daughter's cheek affectionately.

"My dear," she said softly, "There is something troubling you. Tell me, what is it?" Teana took a breath, and sighed.

"I don't know, Mama. That's why I'm asking you." She looked her mother straight in the eye. "Can you… help me? At all?" Annuay glanced down at Teana's hands, which were folded in her lap, then looked at Teana. She had a suspicion…

"Teana, dear," she said softly. She stood up. "Could you step inside for a moment…?"

**_

* * *

_**

"It's been a long while," Jono said, shifting his shoulders. His legs swung as he sat on the courtyard wall, Tiet sitting beside him. Other militia men were lazing around, tired and hungry. It was dusk, and they had been there _all day._

"Yeah," Tiet agreed. He tapped his fingers on his leg. He glanced at Jono, then leaned back.

"I hafta get home…" Jono complained. Tiet opened his eyes.

"Worried 'bout Maia an' Misora?" he asked. Jono nodded. He sighed and smiled lazily into the distance.

"Misora is crazy, getting into everything… It takes all of our energy just to keep her under control…" Tiet laughed. Jono arched his eyebrows. "Exactly…" Tiet stopped laughing as a thought occurred to him.

"Hey, Jono," he said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "D'ya 'tink that, maybe, by now… Teana's 'ad a child?" Jono blinked, then laid back on his palms. He sighed. "She's always talkin''bout wantin' one…"

"Well, she can't," Jono said, closing his eyes. Tiet turned to him. "Really?"

"Yes. It's sad… But, no matter _how many times_ they do anything, or whatever, there is no way she can conceive a child."

"What if the gods decided to bless her?"

"With what she did? Hell no." Tiet shrugged, then closed his eyes.

"Won't stop them from having sex, if _that's_ what you mean."

**_

* * *

A shriek could be heard all throughout the little village. Yami and Sati both looked up, Yami subconsciously stroking Angel's nose._**

"What was that?" Sati asked, shading his eyes to see better under the sun. Yami had gotten stronger from working with horses for two years, and was able to push himself up onto Angel's back using only his arms. Now that he was up higher, he could see farther. "See anything?"

"No..."

"I see something," Kenneth called, leading the horse he was brushing over. "I see Teana."

Sure enough, Teana was running as fast as she could, pushing people out of her way. She ran into the field and up the hill to where Yami was.

"Yami! Y-Yami!" she called, gasping for breath. She fell to her knees, her run catching up with her lungs. Yami dismounted the horse and ran over to Teana, putting his arms around her shoulders.

"Teana," he said softly, "what is it?" Teana lifted her head and opened her eyes, turning to him and grinning. She leaned in and kissed his lips softly, taking him by surprise. He reeled back, and then pulled away from her. "Teana!"

"I'm sorry, but I'm just so excited!" she squealed. She wrapped her arms around Yami's neck. Yami just watched her.

"Teana... Tell me what's so exciting," he asked, waiting for her answer. Teana closed her eyes and leaned against him, nuzzling his neck.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered in his ear. Yami gasped, not sure of how to react. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. He pushed Teana away from him and faced her.

"_W-what!_" he asked in shock. Teana nodded. "You're..."

"What?" Kenneth asked, kneeling next to the couple. "What happened?" Teana turned to Kenneth and grinned.

"We're gonna have a baby!" she said happily, standing up. Kenneth was taken aback as well.

"W-what? You? Have a baby? B-but I thought--"

"Mama said so!" she cried, cutting off his sentence. Kenneth and Sati exchanged confused glances, and then looked back at Teana. Yami was still stunned, but his face was breaking into a smile.

"Oh... my God," he breathed, standing up. He placed his hand on Teana's shoulder. "I... don't believe it."

"Neither do I," Teana said, smiling boldly.

That night, Kenneth and Sati both approached their mother in her tent, wondering what was going on.

"Mama," Kenneth said as they stepped inside, "is it true?"

"Is what true?" Annuay asked, standing up as they approached.

"About Teana's baby. You--"

"--You didn't just make it up?" Sati finished, leaning forwards. Annuay chuckled and shook her head.

"Heavens, no. I wouldn't get Teana's hopes up and then break them. No, no, this is the real deal." Kenneth's jaw dropped while Sati spoke.

"But... we thought she--"

"Couldn't have children?" Annuay finished. She smiled. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it seems that, somehow, our dear Teana was able to conceive a child."

**_

* * *

_**

_(Tee hee, that's the end of that chappy… Ooooh, I wonder what's gonna happen:Dies of anticipation: Are you people happy NOW? Maia FINALLY gave birth… O.O Hmmm… how will the next chap be, I wonder:Boogies down: Next Chap: I Think I Know You... Someone arrives in the place where they live…)_

**Shibby-One**


	8. I Think I Know You

_(In the fated words of Nipa: Neeeeeeee!__ Oh, and BTW, this chappie is dedicated to **Kiyama, **my sister and my hundredth reviewer!)_

**Light the Flame**

**Chapter Eight**

**_I Think I Know You_**

It seemed that Teana's pregnancy was, in fact, not a lie. Over the months, Teana began to grow bigger and bigger, eating more and more, still doing as much as she could, even with a huge, pregnant belly. It was a miracle that she had this child inside of her, and she was ecstatic.

Yami was sitting beside her one evening, just looking over the horses with her beside him, his arm around her, her head on his shoulder.

Teana placed a hand on her abdomen, six months pregnant, staring down at it. Yami followed her gaze.

"It's simply amazing," she whispered. She looked up at him. "All of the years I prayed the damage to be undone... All of the whispers and enchantments... I guess... something worked." Yami stroked the side of her face.

"I guess so," he whispered back. He placed his hand on top of Teana's. Suddenly, he felt a sharp movement beneath her hand. It felt like someone had tapped his hand.

"Wha…?" Yami asked, pulling his hand away. Teana giggled.

"Did you feel it, too?"

"What was that?" Yami asked, blinking in surprise. Teana settled her arms on her abdomen.

"A kick. The baby just kicked us." Yami blinked again, and then lowered his arms.

"Ohhh… Was that all?" he asked, obviously reassured. "Oh. Okay." Teana giggled again and settled her hands onto her abdomen. Again, she felt the same tap.

"It keeps kicking me," Teana whispered. "I wonder if that means he's active." Yami shrugged and settled his hand once again on her body. She leaned on him, glad for his support… She was so happy…

In Kemet, no one had any idea that, miles away, the predecessor to Yami was in the womb, waiting to be born.

Except Asenath. Because of her link, her bond with Yami as her younger brother, she _knew_ something was up. Something was making Yami feel mixed emotions, something was making him excited and scared at the same time... Asenath was bent on figuring it out.

She was standing with her back to a pillar, eyes closed, trying to think of something that would cause such mixed feelings.

"Asenath? What are you doing?" a voice came from behind her. Asenath jumped. She was supposed to be getting ready for a ceremony that night, but she wasn't ready yet. She spun around, breathing hard. Sekhem was coming up behind her.

"Oh! I, umm..." Sekhem blinked, then rolled his eyes.

"Come on, get ready!" he commanded, walking away. Asenath dearly wanted to tell Sekhem what she knew, that something amazing was about to happen in Yami's life. But Sekhem, as well as everyone else, had given up. Given up the thought that maybe Yami would come back. Given up the hope he was still alive. No one was going to believe that Asenath knew, somehow. She was one person. Why would only one person know? they thought.

Asenath sighed, standing straight. She turned and ran back into the depths of the palace, wondering how long this would last.

After that moment, Yami felt a twinge inside him. A twinge of pain, something he knew didn't belong to him. He wondered, Could that be Asenath's feelings at this very moment? but he wasn't sure.

Months later, one night, Yami found himself sitting up in the horse pasture, on a rock, head in his hands, his entire body tingling with excitement and nervousness. Kenneth was standing beside him, pulling his cloak tighter and sighing.

Teana had just gone into labor.

"I'm so damn nervous," Yami said, looking up at Kenneth. Kenneth gave him a half smile.

"Hey, it's okay," he said softly. "She's gonna be fine."

"But, what if it's harder for her?" Yami asked, this thought striking him then. "Because we thought she couldn't have children?" Kenneth shook his head.

"No, my mother knows what she's doing," Kenneth assured Yami. That was Kenneth's job; to keep Yami from getting too nervous or antsy. Just to calm him.

"What's _taking_ so long?" Yami asked, glancing back down into the village. A fire was lit, and there seemed to be a crowd around one tent.

"I dunno," Kenneth said thoughtfully.

Down in the tent, Teana was sitting on a pile of blankets, one thrown over her, breathing deeply. Scenna was kneeling beside Teana, holding her hand. Teana's eyes were squeezed shut, her teeth clenched, trying _not_ to scream.

"It's okay, it's okay, Teana, you're doing fine..." Scenna coached.

"Wow-- this hurts," Teana said, smiling. Scenna laughed and sighed.

"Don't worry -- it'll be fine," she said. Savannah pushed back the flap of the tent, kneeling down next to Teana.

"Okay, Teana," she said, grinning. "While you were gone, I took your mother's job." Teana opened her eyes.

"Oh-- really?" she said, jokingly between breaths. Savannah nodded.

"It's my job to deliver this thing. Okay, Scenna, your gonna hafta prop her up more... Yeah, like that... Awai, could you get some water? And a blanket? Good..."

**_

* * *

_**

A good half hour later, Yami was sitting on the rock, his fists clenched so tightly, his knuckles were turning white. Kenneth had to pry his hands apart to keep from hurting himself.

"That wouldn't be very good for this new baby, eh, Yami?" he asked, grinning. Yami shook his head and glanced down at the tent. The entire area seemed silent.

"What?" Yami asked, staring down. "Why... Why are they silent like that?"

"I don't--"

A sharp cry cut him off.

"Teana!" they both cried, Yami standing up. But then, right after, a smaller cry was heard. It was small at first, and soft, but grew larger and louder.

It was a baby's cry.

"Oh, my God," Kenneth breathed, standing level with Yami. "D'you think...?" That very moment, Sati was running up the hill to them, calling their names.

"Y-Yami! Kenneth! Come down!" he called. "The baby's out!"

Yami and Kenneth looked at each other for one second, and then tore down the side of the hill after Sati. Yami slipped and slid, his feet getting caught in the long grass and small rocks of the area, grass that was wet and glistening after rain.

They finally made it, parting the crowd to get into the tent.

Yami went in first, heading to the back of the tent. Inside, women and girls were running around, doing things for Teana.

Teana was sitting on a different bed now, the blanket from their home thrown over her. She was sitting up, a bundle in a cream-colored blanket in her arms. She was looking down at it, speaking softly and smiling. Sweat beaded her paled face, and she seemed to be out of breath. Yami came over and sat on the edge next to her.

"Oh! Yami," she said in a hoarse voice. Her smile was huge, lighting up her tired face.

"Who's this?" Yami asked, leaning over to see into the bundle. He could see a tiny head, a tiny torso, a tiny figure inside the bundle. It was asleep, hands no bigger then Yami's thumb. Yami reached out and touched the top of its head. It had a little hair, and it was dark brown, matted to its head.

"It's a boy," Teana said, cuddling him. Yami smiled. He wouldn't have cared if it had been a boy or girl, only that he was alive and well.

"What should we name him?" Teana asked. Yami shrugged.

"Umm..."

"I have a suggestion," a voice said. Annuay walked over, crouching on Teana's other side.

"Mama! I thought--"

"You're my daughter, Teana," she said, placing a hand on Teana's shoulder. "I'm old, and I've done many things in my life. But I've never been able to see one of my daughter's have a child." She smiled at Teana, and then looked at the little baby. "I've been thinking about these circumstances. Yami, you believe that this baby was a blessing from the Gods, correct?" Yami nodded. Annuay smiled.

"I believe the name 'Zvallah' should suffice."

"Zvallah? What does that mean?" Yami asked. Teana smiled down at the baby.

"It means 'little gift' in our ancient language," she explained, smiling. Yami blinked, and then looked down at the baby as well.

"I think that's a good name, don't you agree, Zvallah?"

The baby only gurgled back. Yami took the bundle from Teana's arms and held it in his own. Looking at Zvallah, full scale right then, was overwhelming. He still couldn't believe that this was a person he had a hand in _creating._ If it weren't for him and Teana, there would _be_ no Zvallah. He couldn't believe that this little baby had some qualities, some features of his own. This was a part of him, a part that he and Teana had to raise well.

Zvallah yawned and opened his little eyes. With his eyes completing his face, Yami was taken aback at what he saw.

It was almost like... looking in a small mirror. So many features about his own face and Zvallah's were similar... it was incredible. Zvallah's eyes, a deep amethyst, just like his own, were filled with curiosity and life. In his hands, Yami held a new life. Someone he would nurture and teach and raise his entire life. Yami leaned over touched his forehead. Zvallah reached out and grabbed his index finger, holding onto it. Zvallah's eyes were the same as his own. Yami leaned forward and kissed little Zvallah's forehead, touching his cheek as he did so.

Zvallah giggled and still held on. When Yami turned back to Teana, he had to wipe away the shining tears running down his face. He brought Zvallah closer to him, to his chest, and hugged the baby.

He had never felt so amazingly overwhelmed or happy in his entire life. He could feel Zvallah breathing against him, his little hands clutching his neck. Yami couldn't believe it.

Teana was laying back, her eyes closed, sweat dripping down her face. Savannah was talking to her and dabbing her face with a damp cloth.

"Are you alright, Teana?" Savannah asked. Teana, breathing hard, opened one eye and nodded. Savannah bit her lower lip in frustration.

Suddenly, a small cry emitted from Yami's shoulder. He looked to see it was Zvallah, crying very loudly into his ear. He pulled the baby away from him and carried him over to Teana.

"Why's he crying?" Yami asked. Teana took Zvallah in her arms. Zvallah laid his head on her chest, right where her heart was, still crying softly. Yami raised his eyebrows, confused. Teana closed her eyes and leaned against her blankets, worn out.

"He's hungry, the little bugger," Kenneth said from behind Yami. Yami jumped about a foot into the air, breathing hard and spinning around.

"K-Kenneth!" Yami stammered. Kenneth laughed and leaned down towards Zvallah.

"You're hungry, aren't you, baby?" Zvallah continued to cry.

"How do you know?" Teana asked. Kenneth pointed to Zvallah.

"See where his head is? See how he's moving it around? He can feel your breast; he's looking for milk."

"Ohhhh… Okay…" Teana said, biting her lower lip. Kenneth laughed. Savannah laughed and knelt down beside her.

"Here, I'll show you…" Kenneth placed a hand on Yami's shoulder.

"You don't need to know how to breast feed, do ya?"

"I don't think so…"

"Come on…"

**_

* * *

_**

Yami didn't think anything could ruin what had just happened.

He should have known he would have been wrong.

"Yami! Yami! Yami and Kenneth!" someone was yelling. The two were sitting amongst everyone else, happily chatting about the new arrival. Scenna, her face stricken with fear and pain, pushed her way through the crowd.

"Scenna? What's wrong?" Yami asked. He knew it… he knew something would disturb their bliss… Scenna, panting, stared up at Yami, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Te-Teana… she… she… fainted… Hardly… breathing…" Yami's eyes bugged, and his entire body froze. He seemed to go into some form of shock… "You… hafta come quickly." Kenneth rose, but Yami did not. He stayed where he was, feeling as if his body had stopped breathing as well. How come they hadn't been alerted of this earlier? People don't just spontaneously faint…

"Hurry! We have to hurry! Zvallah could be in…" Scenna's voice faded away. All voices did. Scenna was pushing Kenneth towards the tent, then going back for Yami. She knelt down next to him, her mouth moving frantically, but no words coming out. She grabbed his wrist and attempted to pull him up.

_How could this have happened? People don't just faint!_ He thought over and over again. He felt as if his body were levitating; as if he wasn't really there… as if this were all a dream…

"Yami!" voices plunged his thoughts once again as Kenneth slapped him. "Snap out of it! Teana needs you _now!" _Nodding slowly, he stood, and followed Kenneth towards Teana's tent.

"Kenneth," yami said slowly, "tell me. How is it she fainted?" Kenneth stopped, then turned around. He took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh.

"I don't know. Scenna says she just fainted from fatigue…" Kenneth trailed off and pushed the flap back to go inside. Yami followed in pursuit of answers.

"Teana!" Yami cried, running over to her. Teana was lying in her bed, propped up, lying limply. Her lips parted slightly, her face stone white… How… could…

Zvallah was in Annuay's arms, his cries echoing around the room.

"What happened?" Yami hissed, glancing at Scenna. Scenna gulped.

"Well… s-she was really tired, an'… she fainted… And… we can't… wake her..." Was this how the gods thought about this birth? They let Teana live through only the first few moments, and then take her as their own?

"Teana!" Yami cried, burying his face into her shoulder. Teana remained still, breathing slowly, her raspy, faded breaths weakening with every precious second.

"Please, Teana," Yami whispered into her shoulder, "Please… tell me what's wrong…"

The next thing they knew, Yami had collapsed onto his side beside Teana, his hand wrapped around her wrist.

His plea had been answered.

**_

* * *

_**

_(Ehhh, short, but oh well… I shoved 9 months into roughly 5 pages. Cool. :dances: Well, the next chap is the end to the cliffhanger! Buahahaaaaa! I rule! 3 I just… threw this in. Randomly. :D… tata! Next chap: The Little Gift. Also, next chap, the song that splits the sections will change. Tata!)_

**Shibby****-One**


	9. The Little Gift

_(**Sorry for the looong update! n.n;; **Hmmm… Wow. Suu, what happened? Find out n.n BTW, I don't own Switchfoot or their aweomse song "Dare You To Move", which is now the page breaks. Why? Because I finished the other song and this song is cool. So there xP )_

**Light the Flame**

**Chapter Nine**

**_The Little Gift_**

"Hhhnn…" was the soft moan that escaped his lips. Opening his eyes, Yami saw a bright blue sky before his eyes, with clouds gently dotting his vision.

Blinking, he stared at it momentarily, and then sat up, leaning forwards. He was sitting on a wall of sorts, made of cool, hard stone.

He swung his legs to in front of his body and let them hang. It was strange, the place he was in; he could see the sky, and the wall, but… all around was darkness.

"Where…." He whispered. But his mind was too tired to focus on how odd the situation seemed to be.

"Yami?" a voice called. It hit Yami hard in the side of his head. He turned, seeing Teana walk forwards. Her eyes were darting around, her limbs visibly shaking. Her attire had changed; she was now wearing what looked like a white jacket, a red shirt and a white skirt. Boots that reached her knees were on her legs, and she had bracelets on each arm. Yami blinked.

…He had _never_ seen someone dress like _that_ before… It didn't dawn on him he was also dressed oddly until Teana pointed it out to him.

"What's… going on?" Teana asked. Her skirt was short, barely reaching her knees. She sat down beside Yami, blushing and looking around.

Slowly, with swirls of light, the scene took place around them. Trees appeared, sidewalks and tall, glimmering buildings. People were walking by, cars zoomed around, people chatting and laughing, going into the huge buildings.

This was, of course, before their time. Thousands, to thousands of years, before their time.

They glanced at each other, and then looked around. Beneath their stone perch was a little area made of cobblestones where someone was standing. A young women, probably no older then twenty or so, was standing in the center, wearing all black clothing. She was whistling sharply on two fingers, calling to something. What was it…?

"…Where… are we?" Teana breathed, her voice filled with fear. Yami shook his head.

"…I don't know, Teana… I…" he sighed. "I think… we're in one of Asenath's dreams."

"W-what?" Teana gasped, swinging around to face him. "We're _what!_"

"I think so," Yami said slowly. "She has dreams of places and things… way after our time. She told me. Thousands and thousands of years… Somehow… we're witnessing it." Teana blinked, and then looked down into the little yard of cobblestones. The woman was still standing there, calling something. She continued to let out a sharp whistle, as if calling a bird.

"Horussssssss!" she called. Yami blinked. That voice….

Teana looked behind her, and then ducked forward with a loud screech.

"Teana! What the - Oh my God!"

A white falcon, with red-tipped feathers, had narrowly avoided checking the sides of their heads. And flying so fast, his feathers would have sliced their skin.

The couple sat, stunned, then looked at each other. They had narrowly escaped a slicing.

The bird landed on an outstretched arm. The arm of the young woman, no doubt. She was very beautiful, with dark skin and black hair that was braided right down her back…

Yami felt his heart stop.

"…Atem?" Teana whispered, leaning forwards. Yami stared at the woman in horror in surprise.

"That… that woman… It's Asenath," he said, his voice barely audible.

It was.

It was the same young woman they knew. The one related to Yami. Only… She was wearing a black tank top with black pants, and tall, black boots. Her silver ankh around her neck, she was smiling and talking to the white bird. The bird clucked his beak in response.

"I can hear her," Teana said after a time, glancing nervously at Yami. "Can you?"

"Yes… let's listen." They both leaned forward a bit, eager to hear what she had to say.

"Don't worry, Horus, they'll be back soon… School lets out in a few minutes, don't—"

She was cut off by a sharp ringing.

"Ahh… See? School's out." The bird clucked his beak happily and hopped down her arm. Asenath giggled and kissed the top of his head.

"What a good bird…"

"I don't get it," Teana whispered. Yami shushed her.

"Now, where… ahh," Asenath said, looking at the break in the trees behind her. A teenaged boy, no older then sixteen, came bounding through the trees. Adorned in a Domino High uniform, his bag over his shoulder, he greeted Asenath.

"Asenath! And… Horus," he said, the bird flittering happily. The boy was tall, with lighter skin then Asenath's, although still dark. His dark brown hair was long and swept back, and his piercing, amethyst eyes were kind and warm.

"Where are the others? Aren't they coming?" Asenath asked. Teana cocked her head to the side.

"He looks familiar… Doesn't he?" she asked. Yami nodded in reply.

"Yes…"

"They're coming," The boy responded, kicking at a rock. He looked up. "They're slow. Hey…" he said, his face becoming contemplative, "What if you actually_ let_ us get that—"

"Zvallah-Atemu, _how_ many times must I shoot you down!" Asenath cried, laughing and putting a hand on his shoulder. Both Teana and Yami gasped, looked at each other, then back again.

_That boy was their son!_

_Zvallah!_

"You're last name is the name of your father…" Yami whispered. The tall boy, or Zvallah, was laughing as well. He smiled at Asenath and rolled up the sleeves to his jacket.

"God, it's hot…" he sighed. Asenath rolled her eyes.

"Where's your sister?"

"What?" Yami and Teana said to each other. "Sister?" _Was this a sign that they have another child?_

"Who the hell cares?" Zvallah asked. "Nepthys is a living nightmare." Asenath sighed.

"You always say that…"

"It's the damn truth so help me—Hey!" he said, waving to someone neither Yami nor Teana could see beyond the trees. "Heeeeeey! Minnnnna! Over heeeeeere!"

"Must be calling someone…" Teana whispered. She was still temporarily in shock at seeing Zvallah like this… Why was he here, with Asenath in this 'future'? Why was _she_ here? Does something happen?

Voices could be heard beyond the trees. It sounded like an argument.

"Oh, c'mon, you know I'm right—"

"Jonouchi, you are going to _fail_ if you don't get this one right!"

"Anzu, give it up. He's a moron."

"C'mon, just get this one right! Now—"

"Anzu, how about we wait until we get to the Museum?"

"Ryou, if I _wanted_ you're opinion, I'd frickin' _ask—"_

"Anzu, Jonouchi, calm down. Where's Zvallah?"

"Who cares?"

"Nepthys, know where he is?"

"Noooope."

"You suck."

The owner of the loud, arguing voices eventually became known. A group of teenagers walked into the little cobblestone area, Zvallah rushing over and grabbing something from the first person to walk in.

When they saw them, both Yami and Teana nearly had heart attacks.

Teana gasped and slapped both hands over her mouth, eyes wide. And Yami just stared, his mouth hanging open.

_They were seeing themselves._

"Zvallah, give me that!" Jonouci Katsuya cried, running after Zvallah. Honda Hiroto and Bakura Ryou were right behind him. Laughing silently at Jonouchi's slowly failing attempts to retrieve his bag.

"You fucking deserve it," Mazaki Anzu muttered, still steamed. Mutou Yugi rolled his eyes and searched his own bag for his own books, the Puzzle glinting around his neck.

The couple on the wall both nearly collapsed at the sight they saw. Teana was shaking, her eyes wide and in shock.

_What was going on!_

Asenath clucked her tongue and shook her head.

"Oi, minna, did you get lost?" she asked to Yugi. Yugi shook his head.

"No, Jonouchi ran after some pigeons and we got sidetracked…"

"It's _not my fault!_"

"Hell if it isn't, Jonouchi-kun." Jonouchi, standing next to Zvallah, holding onto his bag, just suck out his tongue in a juvenile attempt at back lashing at Anzu's harsh words.

"Wha… what is this?" Teana managed to say in a hoarse whisper, finally. "What's going on? Who are these people?"

"I… I don't know, Teana," Yami said, sighing loudly. He couldn't take his eyes off Yugi.

_Why was that boy wearing the Puzzle?_ Yami thought. He didn't understand.

_If this is the somewhat far future, shouldn't the Puzzle be somewhere else? Is it here because of Asenath?_

_What is it?_

"Ohh…" Teana whispered. "Look at that girl. She seems to be the youngest of them all." Yami peered in the direction Teana had pointed.

A young girl of maybe fifteen, she was standing a bit away from the others, next to Asenath. Her hair was just as dark as Zvallah's, pulled into a high ponytail. The ends of her hair were crimson red, nearly a deep violet. Her bangs, which partially covered her face, were also this dark red, and she kept pushing them back to reveal striking golden eyes. Her school uniform was different, almost more impressive then the others.

"Asenath," the girl said to Asenath, "When are we gonna leave here?" She said it softly, almost as if she didn't want the others to hear.

"In due time, Nephthys. Let Zvallah have friends for a change."

After that, all was darkness.

**_

* * *

_**

"Ohh, I think he's coming to…"

"Finally. I was getting so worried…"

"Hey, Yami, are you with us? Hey? You there?" Yami could hear the voices around him. What happened? Was he back in… his own time?

What had he seen?

Was it a dream?

Yami's eyes snapped open. He was lying on his side on a pile of blankets, sweating profusely. His entire body was shaking. His head was pounding. And all he could think about was Teana.

"Wow, he doesn't look so good…"

"Teh… Teana," he breathed, sitting up. "My Teana. How… how is she…?"

"Calm yourself, Yami," Kenneth said, pushing him back down gently. "She's fine, I'm sure."

"What… what happened?" Yami asked, his eyelids slowly drooping. Kenneth smiled warmly.

"Somehow… your soul decided to temporarily separate itself from your body… Are you tired?" Yami was about to nod, but instead sat up. He pushed his blanket back and, slightly wobbly, grabbed hold of Kenneth's arm. He managed to take a few steps before Kenneth registered that he was out of bed when he wasn't supposed to be.

"Whoa, Yami, you should get back into bed—"

"No," Yami said sternly, a new life evolving inside of him. "I want to see my wife." Kenneth stopped for a moment, then let go of his arm. Yami pushed back the flap to the tent he was in and bounded over to the one he was sure Teana would be in.

He pushed back the curtain and stepped inside. Flame lamps were lit softly and a group of women were crowded around Teana's bed. Annuay was sitting off to the side, cuddling baby Zvallah. She seemed to be giving him a bath.

"Shh, shh, baby," she whispered, seeing Yami walk in. "Atem, come here." Yami glanced her way, and then walked over to her. He crouched down beside her as she put the baby into his arms.

"He should be held by someone who will raise him," Annuay said, smiling. Yami took him and held him gently in his arms. He glanced over at Teana, who was smiling weakly at the people around her. Yami went over to her and knelt down beside her bed, some of the women moving out of his way. Teana glanced at him and smiled. Yami handed his son over to it's mother, who cuddled him.

"My… Zvallah," she said in a low voice so no one else besides Yami could hear, "You grow up to be very… tall." Zvallah just cooed gently, his large eyes glinting.

"Was that her dream we were seeing?" Teana whispered to Yami. Yami shrugged.

"I suppose it was, Teana," he said, smiling. Teana smiled back and leaned in, kissing his lips gently. It came as a surprise to him, since she was obviously as weak and as tired as she was, but it didn't matter. He placed his hand on her cheek and closed his eyes. For some reason, that kiss was very soothing and healing. He knew that, no matter what happened, whether it had to do with himself or her, or what was going on in Kemet, or the craziness that seemed to find him everywhere, one thing was certain.

_Teana loved him. And he loved her._

And that's all he needed. Forevermore.

**_

* * *

_**

_(Hehe… Sorry for the looooong update, I just never had time to write it. Finished it with… twelve minutes to spare:Victory dance: Okey whatever. :D Uhh… Heh. Well, the next chap should be more promising. It's called "Passages". Some familiar faces accidentally discover that Yami isn't dead… Hehe! Another chapter that skips a huge amount of time. Wow, this story's already covered roughly two years. xD;;)_

**Shibby-One**


	10. Passages

_(Well, back again. I haven't died, not yet. x.x I've just been working on the chap AFTER this one instead of this one. n.n;; Sorry, all. xD;; Heh, snuck on today to post this one, and it's rather… long. :D;;)_

**Light the Flame**

**Chapter Ten**

**_Passages_**

Zvallah's birth was a day of reckoning. He became the youngest member of this clan, this tribe, whatever they were. He was the joy of the place; he lit up the room, even when he could barely open his eyes.

Over time, both Yami and Teana grew to Zvallah, and grew used to raising him. They realized that, the moment he was born, he was first in their lives. They were now second.

Many months passed. Yami found himself wondering one night, how everyone back in Kemet would react to Zvallah's birth. He was standing next to a great bonfire. They were celebrating the fact that Zvallah lived and is healthy after his first few months of life. He was just standing there, Annuay cuddling baby Zvallah. He was by himself, staring at the sky.

"I wonder…" he whispered. Teana snuck up behind him and slid her arms under his and around his waist, leaning her head on his back.

"Mhhmmm…. It's really late, Yami. Zvallah should get to sleep," she said. She nuzzled her head into his back. Yami placed his hands on top of hers. He used his own fingers and stroked hers, closing his eyes. Teana sighed.

"Yeah, I know… go rescue him from your mother," he said, and Teana laughed. Yami turned to face her and kissed the top of her head.

While this was going on, Annuay glanced over. Sati and Kenneth were on either sides of her, looking up.

"Aww, how sweet," Sati said in a mocking way. He stuck out his tongue and glanced at his mother. "They're always _doing_ that. They've been married for three years, and they still act like newlyweds. If Teana could become pregnant – aside from Zvallah – she'd have, like, ten kids by now—" Annuay laughed. She held Zvallah in her arms. The baby giggled and stared up at the three of them.

"That's because they're so in love," Annuay said softly. "It's one of the rare loves in this world. They'll probably be like that the rest of their lives. Unable to keep all of their love for each other contained. They're truly a match by the gods."

"They're… They're so damn cute, it's sickening!" Sati exclaimed. Kenneth laughed. He smiled at the couple who were over by themselves. They seemed to have temporarily forgotten that other people exist besides each other.

Teana had her arms around his waist, and his hands were on her face, his thumb gently caressing her cheek. They were trapped in an enticing kiss, making onlookers jealous.

"They're… gah," Sati exclaimed. "Mama, you'll see. When Zvallah gets older, they won't be like this, I promise you," he said to his mother. Annuay shook her head and sighed.

"You're just jealous," she said, Kenneth agreeing. Sati stuck out his tongue.

"Look at them! They're practically making out over there…" he said, scoffing. The couple broke apart for a moment, and then kissed again. Sati was probably right.

"Blah…" he said as Kenneth laughed. A few moments later, Teana bounded over, scooping her baby into her arms. Zvallah laughed a high-pitched, bubbly laugh, one that made people around them smile. He was just so… heartwarming.

"Teana, come on," Yami called, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder. "We should go." Teana held Zvallah in her arms and rocked him a bit.

"He's a good boy, Zvallah," Annuay said with a smile. Teana grinned at her mother.

"I love him so much… We're brining him home now. It's really late and he's only a baby, after all." With that, the little family left the area.

As they walked back, Yami found himself wondering again. He could almost picture their reactions; Asenath would, of course, want to see him and cuddle him, since she couldn't have children; Sekhem would talk to him, like he did to everything else; his parents would be nonetheless shocked; and the militia would be happy for him for two reasons – one, he has a child, and two, he had sex. Something they teased him about.

"Your family is really excited about Zvallah," Yami said absentmindedly. Teana stopped walking.

"Yes… why wouldn't they be?" she asked. "He's a newborn; everyone loves newborns."

"I know, I know…" Yami sighed. "I'm just wondering… how would my family react to him?" Teana shrugged and started walking again.

"I think it's most people's natural reaction to be happy when there's a new life," she said slowly. "I think. I'm just assuming…" Zvallah yawned and closed his eyes. He was bigger then when he was born, but still tiny. Teana touched his forehead.

"I bet everyone would love him," she whispered to Yami as they're home appeared in the distance.

**_

* * *

_**

After that time, more months went by. Seasons changed, and both Yami and Teana turned a year older. By now, Teana was seventeen and Yami was sixteen. Zvallah was nearly a year old.

That was when they were found.

Yami was just doing what he was supposed to; he was watching the horses and training the younger ones. He was just doing that when someone came running up the hill towards him at dusk.

"Y-Yami!" the boy panted, sliding in the long grass. Yami turned to the young boy.

"Eiri! Eiri, what is it?" Yami asked, walking over to the boy. Eiri panted.

"Kenneth and Sati found some foreigners out in the desert… They brought them back to see if they can save them," Eiri reported. "Teana asked me to get you." Yami nodded and followed Eiri down the hill.

Down the hill and in the depths of the village was a large, tan tent where two foreigners were sitting upright, a little scraped, one a bit sickly, but very much alive. They were from Kemet; the same people as Yami.

Unbeknownst to Yami, they were Jono and Tiet.

"Are you sure you're alright now?" Savannah asked Jono. Tiet coughed and shivered. A blanket was wrapped around him.

"Yeah, I'm okay. It's Tiet I'm worried about," he said, motioning to his friend. "He's sick."

"I know," Savannah said wistfully. "I'm not sure what to do for him, though. You're going to have to wait until Annuay gets here." Jono nodded. He looked up at Kenneth, one of his saviors.

"I… don't know how to thank you," he said, smiling. "I was sure we would have died."

"I wouldn't have left you there, Egyptian," Kenneth said, winking at his new friend. "I'm not like that."

"Where'd yer friend go?" Tiet asked, rather weakly. Kenneth turned to him.

"Sati? He's my brother and he went to get the youngest member of our village."

"What? Why?" Jono asked incredulously. Why would they _care?_

"It's said that if the oldest member and the youngest member like you, everyone else is bound to as well," Sati said as he re-entered the tent. He had baby Zvallah in his arms. Zvallah had just begun learning to talk, which was amazing for a baby barely a year old.

"Aww, a baby," Tiet said, grinning. Jono smiled.

"I have a daughter back home," he said. "She's three." Sati knelt down next to Jono.

"This is Zvallah. He's almost one year old and he's our youngest member," he explained. "He's my nephew as well. My sister's son." Sati handed Zvallah to Jono. Jono plopped the baby into his lap and bent down close to him.

"Hi, Zvallah," he said, smiling. Zvallah giggled and reached up to him. Tiet leaned over to glance at Zvallah.

"Hey, he kinda looks a bit like…" he said, trailing off. Jono nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, he does… It's the eyes, I think… Strange… they're just _like_ his…"

"His mother is coming," Sati said. Jono looked up.

"Oh, you're sister?" As soon as he said that, Teana entered.

"Sati, where's… Oh," Teana gasped, staring down at the two before her. Both Jono and Tiet looked up in shock.

"Teana!" Teana put a hand over her mouth and fell to her knees. She was in shock; she couldn't believe who was before her.

"Jono! And Tiet! Oh, I missed you!" she cried, hugging them both. She somehow regained her voice from her temporary shock. She hugged each of them in turn, grinning from ear to ear in happiness.

"Teana, we didn't expect to see you here!" Jono said, surprised. Tiet nodded in agreement.

"We didn't know yew lived here," Tiet said in a hoarse voice, coughing. Kenneth was the first to regain his voice from this shock.

"Y-you shouldn't even be awake," he said, walking over and kneeling down next to him. Teana smiled at Kenneth.

"These are the guys I told you about, Kenneth," she said, grinning. Zvallah cooed and called out to Teana.

"Momma!" he called, his arms in the air. Jono looked down in shock at Zvallah.

"Did he… just… call you 'Momma'?" Jono asked, staring at Teana. Teana blushed and reached out, holding the toddler in her lap.

"This… this is my son, Zvallah. He'll be a year old very soon," she said, smiling at Jono. Jono raised an eyebrow.

"You conceived a child? Really? That's… I thought you couldn't have children," Jono said, confused. Teana smiled.

"The gods decided to bless us with him," she said softly. Tiet smiled at her with a tired glance.

"Everyone thinks you're dead," he said softly. He sighed. "At least now, we know you're not."

"Yes, thankfully," she said, smiling. Jono looked down at his hands.

_She hasn't mentioned Yami yet,_ he thought. _I wonder if she even knows what happened to him? Maybe they got separated and she hasn't seen him since…_

"So, who's son is that?" Tiet asked, catching onto Jono's hunching. Teana glanced down at her son.

"Mine and—"

"_There_ you are," Kenneth said, rather loudly at that moment. He blushed and waved them on.

"Uhh, carry on. I was just, uhh… Well…" Kenneth rolled his eyes. "Teana, lover-boy is here."

"Oh, shut up," Teana said, blushing like mad. Her face turned a dark, dark crimson. She threw a small blanket at him. He was laughing and pointing at her. Teana stuck out her tongue.

"Lover-boy?" Jono asked, snickering. Teana sighed.

"First they used to call him 'Egyptian'. Now it's this." She looked disgruntled.

"He has a _name_, you moron," she said, smiling. Jono looked straight at Teana. He just at that moment noticed how much older she looked. Her face wasn't as curved and as young as it used to look. She had a more of an experienced air to her, and a more mature one as well. Jono admired her for that. It had been three years, and only Heaven knew what she'd been through in those three years.

Teana noticed the same about her old friends. She didn't realize how much they had changed until she got a good look at them. She never realized how much older then she they really were until she saw them now. She knew that Tiet was twenty at least, three years older then her. Jono had a worn look about him. Maybe because he had a child. She knew that Maia had been pregnant, but she wasn't sure if the baby was born. She assumed it was.

"So, who's this 'lover-boy'?" Jono asked. As soon as he said that, Yami pushed by Kenneth.

"Jono!" Yami stammered in disbelief. Jono gasped and looked up at Yami. Tiet did as well.

"…Yami!" Jono said, partially shocked, partially amazed. His old friend, someone he had assumed to be dead long ago, was standing before him, in perfect health and older. Yami stared at Jono in disbelief. Jono couldn't believe he was seeing Yami like this.

After seeing Yami for his entire life looking like a prince, seeing him looking – and living – like a commoner was a little more then shocking.

"Oh, my God," Yami whispered, falling to his knees beside Teana. Jono and Yami just stared at each other, then Yami leaned in and hugged his friend.

"Jono, I thought I'd never see you again!" Jono laughed.

"I thought the same thing! I don't believe you both made it alive! It's amazing! A miracle!" Jono exclaimed. Tiet was partially lying down, smiling and watching from a low level. Yami smiled.

Jono looked from Teana to Yami, then glanced at Zvallah.

_Duh,_ his brain said, whacking him in the side of his head.

"Lemme guess… he's both of yours?" Jono asked, smiling. Zvallah was the one to answer.

Zvallah noticed that his father was next to him, so he leaned over Teana's arm and reached for his father.

"Da!" he exclaimed happily.

**_

* * *

_**

"I… I have news for your, Yami," Jono said slowly. It was the next day, and Yami and Jono had spent the entire time talking and catching up. Teana popped in and out, sometimes with Zvallah, sometimes without. Yami was sitting in the grass on the hill where the horses were, looking rather scruffy to Jono as he sit in the grass, his body more lean from work, his face older, his faded cloak keeping him warm. Yami grinned.

"What is it?" he asked, tilting his head. Jono sighed collectively.

"Well… The reason Tiet and I were even out here was because… The city is in disarray," Jono said slowly. Yami frowned.

"Why?"

"Things have been getting out of hand, Yami. And it's not good. People have started to panic, because of fear of an attack…" Yami stared quizzically at Jono.

"I don't understand. My father has the Puzzle; how could anything happen?" he asked. Jono closed his eyes.

"Yami… Atemu," he said softly, "I know you love your family a lot. And… it pains me to say this, but… You're father… He's… he's dying, Yami. He got sick a few months ago and hes _dying._"

Yami's entire body froze.

_Dying! My father?_

_How could he be dying!_

**_

* * *

_**

It was decided.

Yami was going back to Kemet.

"You can't!" Teana cried later in the day. After a few moments of complete shock, Yami just seemed to _break._ He didn't start crying or anything, his body just seemed to stop functioning correctly. And it wasn't until later that he spoke again for the first time.

"I'm going back to Kemet."

"But why?" Teana pleaded. "Why now?"

"My father is dying. Something has to be done," Yam explained. He closed his eyes. "Jono told me that the Puzzle won't respond to anyone else besides my father. He thinks maybe… Since it responds to me, too… I could make it respond to Sekhem." He licked his lips. _I hope I can…_

"But – this is so soon!" Teana protested again. She lowered her eyes to the ground. She closed her eyes tightly as Yami turned to her.

"Listen, Teana. I have to go back. My family needs me there. And I can't deny them. I have to help them." He pulled on his cloak, dipping his hands into the pockets. Teana scrunched her hands into tiny fists. He was going to leave tonight.

_No… please… I don't want to lose you again…_ she thought in her mind. Two tears rolled down her cheeks. She shivered.

"But what about you're family _here!_" she cried. Yami stopped short, then spun around to face her. "You don't live there anymore! You gave up that life!"

"Teana," Yami said, trying not to lose his temper, "it would be selfish not to go back and help." Teana shook her head, tears rolling down her face.

"But – your father disowned you! You're not a part of that family any longer!" she cried, her fists shaking. She fell to her knees and cried, her arms wrapped around her head. Yami stared down at her. Part of him wanted to go over to her and tell her it would be alright, but another part… It like it. It liked watching her cower in fear and fight back. He felt powerful, almost. He gave a small smile.

"Teana, I'm going. Jono and Tiet are going with me. You can't stop me," he said, and turned on his heal to leave. Teana fell forwards and cried. Yami left the tent – and walked straight into Jono.

"Wha—" Yami said, but Jono grabbed him fiercely by his shoulders.

"Yami! What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked, staring into his face. Yami looked puzzled.

"W-what?"

"What do you think you're _doing?_ Go back in there and help her!" Jono nearly screamed in his face. He was shaking, he was so angry. "Only a coward would leave someone he loves in a state like that!" Yami said nothing. The part of him that had glorified over Teana's tears had vanished. Yami turned and stared at the tent. He now felt… indescribable. The pain throbbing in his chest grew to tremendous amounts, and he gulped, staring at the tent flap. He could hear Teana crying inside.

Yami walked forward and pushed the flap back, running towards Teana. He put his arms protectively around her and held her tight.

"Teana… Oh, Teana… I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean… I…" he trailed off. No words could undo what he did. Teana just cried, shaking at his touch. She had never seen him so rigid, so cruel. He wasn't even _that_ cruel, by the things she'd experienced, but coming from the mild-mannered man he is, it was shocking. Yami just held her, allowing her to bury her face in his chest.

"Teana… I love you… I'm… so… sorry…" Jono was standing in the tent. He crouched down to their level.

"We can't leave yet. Not for a couple days," he explained softly.

"Why?"

"Tiet is still sick," Jono said, pointing his hand over his shoulder. "We'll leave in two days. I'll tell you when I know for sure." With that, he stood and left, leaving Yami to comfort Teana.

Yami was still unsure as to why he had done that. Why had he been so cruel to her? Why had he suddenly gotten the desire to watch her cower? If it weren't for Jono, he would have left her.

_Is this a normal thing for people like him?_ Yami shook his head. _No,_ he decided, _I can't be like that any longer. I was like that when I was younger, but I thought I grew out of it. What's wrong now?_ But he never said anything to his wife. He just held her until it was too dark to see anymore.

**_

* * *

_**

_(Hehe I don't know why I made Yami such an evil bastard. I just… did. n.n;; Next chap: the chap when they leave for Kemet. Just a chap about Teana's fears, their last night together, and then leaving for… Kemet. :o Hehe, there's some HamixTeana lemon in that chap n.n I couldn't resist. The next chap: Abdication. See ya! ;D)_

**Shibby-One**


	11. Abdication

_(Hehe, Yami's going back to Kemet to see his father. Hmmm… this is the chap that describes his leaving. This should be quite interesting…Oh, BTW, contains lemon. Still PG-13, just thought I'd warn you.)_

**Light the Flame**

**Chapter Eleven**

**_Abdication_**

The next day, Teana inquired Jono and the partially healthy Tiet about the departure.

"Why does he have to go _now?_" she asked, throwing her arms into the air. Jono just shook his head at her.

"His father's _dying,_ Teana. His father isn't going to wait to die when Yami's good an' ready to leave. He has to go back."

"_Why?_ He's been disowned!" Teana exclaimed.

"No he 'asn't," Tiet said, coming up behind the two. He had Zvallah in his arms. He had gotten better overnight from the herbal medicine that Annuay made so well. "Believe it or not, Teana dear, Yami's father neveh disowned him. He's still 'is son, no matter what. Yami knows that his father prolly wants to see him once more before he goes to the Afterlife." Teana sighed and sat on the ground. Tiet bent down with the toddler in his arms.

"I believe 'dis is yers?" he said, smiling as Teana took the child from his arms. Zvallah seemed very happy to be in his mother's lap, and latched on immediately to her shoulders. Teana closed her eyes and sighed.

"He doesn't want us to go with him," Teana said, defeated. "I _want_ to… he says with his father dying, it could be dangerous."

"Yeah, I 'eard that, too," Tiet agreed, turning to Jono. "We better get back _before_ he 'ies."

"Yeah, I know," Jono said, scratching the back of his head. "We're leaving tomorrow, Teana. Be sure you know that." With that, the two walked away, discussing how they would get back. Teana frowned and stroked Zvallah's head absentmindedly.

"I just wish he would stay…" she whispered, Zvallah's little hand on her cheek.

**_

* * *

_**

That night, Yami was sitting on their bed, Zvallah in his lap.

"Hey, Zvallah. I have something important to tell you," he said, smiling. Zvallah just blinked.

"Da?" he asked. Yami laughed.

"Heh… Zvallah, tomorrow I'm leaving. I'm taking a trip somewhere, Zvallah!" he said, tickling Zvallah's stomach to distract him. Teana was watching this array of activity from across the floor, sitting in the sand that made up their floor. Zvallah giggled and opened his large, amethyst eyes in contentment.

"Where goin'?" he asked.

"Someplace I haven't been in a long time, Zvallah," Yami explained. "But don't worry. In a little while, I'll come back, okay?"

" 'Kay," Zvallah agreed, holding onto his father's hands. Yami sighed.

"We're leaving before sunup," he explained. Teana nodded and stood up. She began walking over when she stopped.

Her husband and her son were before her. All the love she could ever want came in two great energies, both hers. And hers alone.

_…Why did he have to go back now?_

"Jono wants to see him one more time before you leave tomorrow," Teana said softly. Yami rolled his eyes.

"He's in love with the kid, isn't he?" Teana giggled.

Jono walked in at that moment. Zvallah, instantly recognizing his new playmate, giggled and cheered in delight.

"Hey, Zvallah!" Jono said, bounding over to the little boy. He scooped the toddler into his arms and stopped in the doorway.

"I just want to hang out with him again before we go back," he explained. "He'll be back soon, don't worry."

"Jono, he's one year old!" Teana exclaimed, laughing.

"He's a good companion!" Jono said, smiling and leaving with Zvallah in his arms. Both Yami and Teana laughed.

"I never realized how much I missed Jono until now," Yami said, standing up. Teana laughed.

"He's always been the same since I first met him. Full of life." Yami smiled and walked over to Teana.

"Teana, I know you object to me going back so suddenly. But you have to understand – I love my family. Both of them. The one I was born into and the one I created." He took Teana's hands into his own. "And if someone in my family is hurt, I want to be there. My father is dying; I have to go home. Only for a little while. I promise I'll come back. And if, for some reason, I have to stay, I'll send for you, and you and Zvallah and – and everyone! – can come down to Kemet. And we'll live there if we have to." Teana smiled at Yami and sighed.

"I know you love them, it's… just…" Teana's arms were shaking. Yami stared down at her in surprise.

"Teana…?" Unexpectedly, she flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his body.

"I don't want to lose you again!" she cried, much to Yami's surprise.

"Wha…? Lose me? What do you mean?" he asked. Teana sniffled.

"It's a dangerous route from here to Kemet – and what if something happens while you're down there? What if I never _see_ you again!" She cried, burying her face into his chest. Her shoulders heaved as she cried heavily into his shirt, shaking. Yami was in shock.

He never really realized how much Teana loved him until this moment. She just held him there, making him unable to move.

"I love you," she whispered. "I don't want to see you die. Not again." She just lay there, against him, not letting him go. Yami wrapped his arms around her and held her gently.

"Nothing's going to happen. I promise," he whispered to her. She just lay against him, not breathing quite as heavy anymore. They stood in silence for awhile, her head resting on his chest. She lifted her head to face him, just about level with his face.

She leaned in and kissed him. Yami was surprised at first, but allowed her to kiss him. He knew she would miss him when he left…

With his arms tightening around her body, he let her kiss him again, finding he was enjoying it very much. He pulled away from her, smiling at her. He knew what she wanted.

He slid his arms under her legs and picked her up, twirling her around. Teana laughed and held onto his neck so she wouldn't slide from his grip.

"Whoa… What're you doing?" she asked, giggling. Yami, still holding her, shrugged.

"I have no idea," he said in a low voice to her. He spun around again, except this time, without knowing it, he moved. And tripped.

And both of them went toppling. Yami landed on the ground while Teana landed on their bed. She was lying on her back, laughing, Yami standing up.

"Oww…" he groaned. "Gods, that was painful. Ehh…" Teana rolled onto her side and sat up, grinning at him. Yami stared at her.

"…what?" he asked, smiling at her. Teana reached out her arms and said nothing. Yami walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, with a completely blank expression on his face.

"Uhh, Teana?" he asked, blinking. Teana couldn't contain herself. She leaned forward, wrapped her arms around his neck, and completely pushed him down. She was on his side and kissed the side of his mouth, closing her eyes.

"I love you, so much…" she whispered, leaning over him and kissing him. He closed his eyes and said nothing. She reached down and slid her hand into his, interlocking her fingers. Her other hand held onto the back of his neck. She pulled away, breathing hard. She leaned her head on his chest, his chin on the top of her head. She shivered gently.

Yami reached down and pulled the beautiful woven tapestry made by her mother and tossed it over their bodies. Teana laid the side of her face against his chest, running her free hand inside of his tunic top. She tightened her grip on his other hand, and just lay there, breathing deeply.

She kissed his neck, pulling the top of his tunic off. She moved back to his lips, allowing him to remove her clothing, too. She kissed his neck again, a small moan emitting from his lips.

As their love became more intimate and passionate, their hands never let go.

They were bound forever.

**_

* * *

_**

"Psst, Yami. Wake up." Yami could hear the voice above him. He didn't _want_ to wake up. He was _tired,_ Goddamnit.

But he had to. He didn't answer.

"Yami, did you die? If you did, I'm not bringing you back." He placed his hand on Yami's shoulder, and Yami's eyes flickered open.

"Gah, Jono… Why'd we hafta leave so early in the morning?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. This was earlier then he normally got up, and he woke up pretty early. After his vision adjusted, he rolled onto his other side and saw Jono bending over him. He had his hands on his waist with a wide grin on his face. Yami chuckled. He sat up slowly, so he wouldn't wake Teana.

She was right next to him, lying on her side. Her arms were folded underneath her head. Yami had been sleeping right next to her, his arm around her waist. Her face was peaceful and she was in a deep sleep, breathing slowly. Jono straightened up.

"Put some clothes on, lover-boy. Zvallah is with, umm, that girl… Savannah. I gave him to her because she forced us to go to sleep early, and said she'd drop him home. But she came back a few minutes later and just tucked him in without a word, then like… died." Yami laughed as he tied his tunic belt. He grabbed his cloak from the edge of the bed and put it on. It was a little chilly.

"Well, let's get moving, then," Jono said as Yami fastened a carry-bag to Angel's flank. Jono hopped onto his own horse, as did Tiet, whom they met outside. Kenneth was also mounting a horse.

"Kenneth? Are you coming, too?" Yami asked in surprise. Kenneth shook his head.

"You were unconscious when we traveled this road three years ago. And this one was sick, and that one wasn't paying attention when we rescued them," he explained, motioning to Jono and Tiet. "So none of you know about half the way… I'll show you, then let you go from there."

"Thank you, Kenneth," Jono said, grinning. Yami looked back at his home wistfully. His heart was pounding and his head was aching. He already missed this place.

"Wait," he said, just as Kenneth was about to ride off. "I'll be right back." He dismounted the horse and ran through the sand, falling every few steps. He gently pushed back the curtain to his home and knelt down next to Teana. She had turned over onto her back, sleeping peacefully.

Yami placed a hand on her cheek.

"Teana… Sennaniakah," he whispered. "I love you, and I always will. I'll come back, you'll see…" and with that, he placed a peck on her lips, then stood up. He left the tent without looking back. Because he knew if he did, he would run back and refuse to leave.

"You ready now?" Kenneth asked the heartbroken man. Yami sighed.

"Y-yes."

They rode off, Yami never looking back.

**_

* * *

_**

"Oh, I thought something horrible had happened," Teana said in relief. It was later in the morning, and she had woken up alone, with Yami gone and Zvallah nowhere to be found. She was sitting with Savannah, the girl who had watched Zvallah that night.

Zvallah was in his mother's lap, leaning against her and holding her hands in his tiny ones. He had one hand in his, playing with her long fingers and placing his small hand into her palm. Teana hugged the toddler gently, a great feeling of relief washing over her.

"Why did he stay here? Why didn't you bring him back?" Teana asked of her friend. "When I couldn't find him, I thought he had died." Savannah giggled a bit. Her sisters were in the area, as well as some of Teana's sisters. They were sitting outside, the older women giving the younger women weaving lessons.

"Well… You see…" Savannah giggled again. "Jono was gonna bring him back, but I told him he needed rest since he was leaving so early, so I volunteered to bring him back. However… Umm… When I got there, you two seemed rather…. 'busy'… So I brought him back to stay here for the night." And then she laughed.

Teana's cheeks noticeably turned bright, bright red, and in turn, smiled and faced Zvallah, kissing the top of his head. "…Yeah, well… I might not see him again for months…"

"Uh-huh," Savannah said, unable to suppress her laughter.

"Oh – Shut up, Savannah, you're married too, y'know." Savannah just laughed. Teana just, instead, held her son, watching him explore her hands. She plopped him onto the ground and patted his head. Zvallah turned and looked up at Teana.

"Momma?" he asked. Teana smiled down at him. Savannah stopped what she was doing to watch. Zvallah looked from his mother to Savannah and back again with his large, childish eyes.

"Yes, Zvallah?" Teana asked. Zvallah looked around and then looked up.

"Where Da?" he asked, leaning forwards. Teana gasped and looked down at her lap. How could she explain to a little child that his father left? He had good intentions, and she knew he didn't really want to go…

But…

"You're daddy's going away for a little while, honey," Savannah explained, leaning over the little child. She smiled softly and warmly at him. "He'll come back real soon, okay?"

"A-are you okay with that, Zvallah?" Teana asked, smiling at the baby. Zvallah blinked up at his mother and beamed.

"Yes, Momma," he said, smiling brightly. He lifted his arms in the air, suggesting he wanted to be lifted up. Teana bent over and lifted her son into her lap, gently running her hand through his dark brown hair. Zvallah held her arm and leaned against her, closing his eyes.

Teana had never realized before now how tiny Zvallah was. He was a small child for his age, and thin, too. He _was _very small when he was born…

Something wet landed on Zvallah's head.

"Everything will alright, Sennaniakah," Savannah whispered to her childhood friend. Teana hugged her child tighter.

"I wish I could believe you, Savannah…"

**_

* * *

(__Well, anyway. So, was that good? Huh huh huh? I hope so n.n I'm so happy with this chap I could die. xD;; Moving on… The next chap, they arrive back in Kemet. And everyone's more then a little surprised to see how Yami's changed… and Yami's a little more then a lot surprised at how much his family changed… xD That's not a real phrase, is it? Oh well xP Next chap: "He Returned"._**( 

**_Oh, on another note, I started a new ficcy (along with 'Aftermath') called 'Mad World'. It's a little… odd… n.n;; People kinda… go insane… but… that hasn't happened yet, so it's all good. n.n I would appreciate it if you took a read! Please? Thanks!_**

**Shibby-One**


	12. He Returns

(He returned! Nyah:3 It's been about two years now since I started my new account… wee!)

**Light the Flame**

**Chapter Twelve**

**He Returns**

Yami never realized what a sight Kemet was until he returned to it after three years.

It was nearly midnight, and Yami, Jono and Tiet still had a day's worth of riding until they reached Kemet. Which is why they decided to camp out instead of riding into the night.

Yami was sitting cross-legged, a cup in his hands. Angel layed down beside him, nudging his leg.

"I bet you're thirsty?" Yami asked the horse. Angel didn't respond, just nudged him more. Yami lowered the cup to him and let him lap water out of it. **1**

"Well, we're not far now, Yami," Jono said, glancing into the distance. "See it? See that tiny dot?" Yami squinted.

"Yeah, I see… something."

"That's the city." Yami nodded and sighed. The sky above them was dark blues and blacks, with little dots for stars. Yami stared up at the sky wistfully.

"Man, will they be surprised to see we survived," Jono was saying to Tiet.

"Ya, I know. Betcha they all thinks tha' 'da two of us are dead, 'eh?" Tiet said, punching Jono's shoulder playfully.

"Ow, that's my hurt shoulder."

"Oh, sorry."

"I bet you are." Yami smiled as he listened to them bicker. He hadn't heard their incessant bickering in three years, and it was really strange – and fun – to remember the two and to be with them. Yami turned a bit to face them.

"We should go to sleep now, Yami," Jono said, lying on his stomach on his blanket. Yami stretched his shoulders and did the same. Tiet rolled onto his back, staring at the two.

"Ya know, 'dere gonna be real suhprised to see you, Yami," Tiet noted, blinking his green eyes. " 'Dere gonna be like 'Whoa! 'Dis kid just keeps comin' back! Nothin'll kill 'im!" Yami laughed as Jono whacked Tiet over the head.

"It's 'da truth, though," Tiet countered to Jono's strike. "Right, Yami?" Yami was silent.

"Jono, he's right. Their reactions will… be… stunned." He looked up. Then he sighed. "At least I get to see my father again before he dies." It was silent for awhile as Yami rolled onto his back, too, and stared up at the sky. Jono did the same, and Tiet was already like that.

"How did my father get sick, anyway?" Yami asked no one in particular.

"Well, he wasn't really sick until recently, but… I think… his wife dying—"

"Wait," Yami said, sitting up. "His wife? As in my mother?" Jono sat up as well, turning to Yami. He lowered his eyes to the sand.

"It was so long ago, I almost forgot," he said softly. He looked up again, and then glanced at Jono. Jono shrugged. "Your mother… she died only a few months after they gave up searching. She just kind of… crumpled, almost."

"She got real sick," Tiet added. "And then one day, she just died. And 'den your father, turned out he was also real sick. No one's realleh sure as to how 'r why 'dey were sick, 'r what actually killed yer mother, but somethin' did."

"We think it was the possibility that you would never come back," Jono added. "It's hard for any parent, even Pharaoh or his wife, to lose a child. But… three times?"

"I 'dink it just took it's toll on 'dem," Tiet said seriously. "I mean, first yew almost die when yer born. 'Den 'dirteen years later, you die again, but come back somehow. 'Den you leave the city to wandeh around in th' desert? I mean, I suppose tha' would worry me to absolute death if that were my child." Yami sighed. He never really thought about the huge toll it would take on his family. He had been so completely selfish when he left… All he could think about was himself and his needs, his wants. He had figured that his parents were doing these things to him out of spite, but he never realized just how much they loved him. His mother risked her life to give birth to him, and also with Sekhem as well. And his father sacrificed so much so they would be raised well, as well as Asenath.

Even as the conversation changed to other things, and eventually Tiet and Jono fell asleep, Yami thought about his family. He remembered times when he was very small, running throughout the vast palace with the sun streaming through tall windows. He remembered climbing a stone wall to see the entire city from a beautiful garden. He remembered so many wonderful things…

"Mother," he whispered, a few tears grazing his cheeks. He wiped them away hurriedly and closed his eyes. He listened to soft breathing around him, Angel snorting off to his side. It was probably early the next morning already. As he remembered, he fell asleep.

**_

* * *

_**

"…How we'll go abou' doing 'dis, aye?" Tiet was saying the next morning. Yami was walking behind the two, catching whiffs of what they were saying.

"…Idea," Jono replied sullenly. The city gates were looming in the distance. Yami tugged on Angel's reins to get him to go faster.

"Well, here goes nothin'," Tiet murmured as the gates approached. The guards at the gates let them in, recognizing Jono and Tiet. Yami was walking between them by now, so so the guards didn't notice the shorter of the trio.

Yami was in shock.

He now knew what foreigners felt like.

Near the entrance to the city, tall obelisks loomed over a market place with lace curtains hanging from them. People bustled about, although there was a nervous tension on the air. The sounds of horses and other animals could be heard in the distance. House upon house were in the far distance, and then the palace stretched into the morning sky.

"Whoa…" Yami breathed. The trio walked their horses through the streets, Tiet and Jono saying hi to people along the way. People were glad and surprised to see them back so soon.

"Glad you made it safely," one man said. Jono smiled. Yami just kept looking around. He never knew what it was like to first walk into the city. It was overwhelming, breathtaking. If he were a foreigner trying to invade, just the feeling this place gave off, the feeling of power and wealth would diverge him from trying to defeat this empire.

"Tiet, why were you guys gone, anyway?" Yami asked as they got closer to the palace. Tiet bent down near to him.

"We were trying to scout out the borders of the land out there, but we were attacked and got off track."

"Oh."

They tied up their horses in a stall near the palace in the town center, then proceeded up the stairs to the palace.

When they reached the top, Yami looked up at the tall palace. He had to admit, it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. The stories he had been told by Asenath when he was younger certainly were true.

"Hey, look, Asenath an' Seto, right over 'dere," Tiet noted, nodding into the courtyard. Jono smiled.

"C'mon, Yami. Let's go surprise your sister."

"Alright," Yami said, following the two. He stayed behind the gate and peered in as Tiet and Jono walked in.

Yami observed his sister and his cousin closely as they approached. He noted how Seto had gotten a lot taller and older. Although, he supposed he looked the same way. Asenath seemed the same, maybe a little more worn, though. They were sitting underneath the mitsukai tree, Asenath telling something to Seto. Yami watched the two.

"Hey, Asenath! Seto!" Jono said amicably, Tiet grinning. Asenath looked up and smiled, standing up.

"You made it back alright," she exclaimed happily, placing a hand on Jono's shoulder. Jono shrugged. Seto stood next to Asenath and frowned at Tiet's hand.

"What happened?" he asked, looking up at Tiet's face. Tiet shrugged.

"Oh, this? I just injured myself is all. Th' people we met out 'dere helped us so much."

"People? Wait a minute, what happened to you two?" Asenath asked. "You were only gone three days."

"Yeah, I know," Jono admitted. "We were ambushed about a day into the job, but a couple of men from a family livin' out there helped us and brought us back."

"Family? What?" Seto asked. Tiet sighed.

" 'Dese two guys live wit' 'dere entire family – a huge family – up in 'dose mountains south o' here. It's one hell of a group up 'dere. 'Dere are lots of 'em, and othas not in 'dere family, but in their clan or sommat livin' around 'em in other places in the mountains," Tiet explained. Jono nodded.

"Yes, they were very kind. They have strange customs though; their youngest family member and their oldest had to meet us. If they liked us, everyone in between should, too."

"Well? Did they?" Asenath asked. Jono smiled.

"Yeah. This little boy was the youngest – about a year old – and the boy's grandmother was the oldest." Asenath smiled. Tiet motioned over to where Yami was hiding behind the brick wall.

"We brought ba' the father o' the little one, since he's supposed to be pretty smart or somethin', I suppose," Tiet said, his grin widening. Asenath raised her eyebrows.

"Wha…?"

"He means me," Yami said, stepping out from behind the wall. He placed a hand on the wall and leaned on it, smiling.

Asenath looked up… and froze. Seto did a double take and gasped. Asenath, frozen completely, just stared as Yami made his way over, wearing a large, blue cloak. Asenath's stunned expression broke into a smile, as she ran over to her younger brother.

"Yami…" she said softly. She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Tears slid down her cheeks as she embraced him.

"Atemu," she whispered, holding onto him. "I've missed you so much."

"I missed you, too, Nefer-Asen," Yami said to her softly, smiling. Asenath wiped her face from her tears.

Seto walked over, placing a hand on Yami's shoulder. Asenath let her brother go as Seto just stared at Yami.

"You're… alive," he said incredulously. He shook his head. "You've been alive the entire time."

"Yes," Yami said, smiling up at Seto. Seto closed his eyes and sighed.

"If you had any idea how worried we were… Ah… argh," he said, smiling. "You're safe."

"My, Seto, so unlike you to forgive so easily," Yami said, shaking his head. Seto took his hand from Yami's shoulder and just rolled his eyes.

"We thought we'd lost you forever this time," Asenath said.

"This time," Tiet said, causing her to laugh.

"I know," Asenath said, smiling. "No matter what happens, he never seems to die…" she trailed off as the others laughed. Her smile faded. She glanced over the stone wall to see the sun in the dusky sky.

Asenath sighed. Just thinking about it made her want to cry. But if she did, they would question her, and she might blurt it out.

Instead, she just glanced at Seto. He was happily talking to Yami, but then caught Asenath's eye. He stopped talking, just watching her.

"Huh? Asenath?" Yami asked, looking up at her. Asenath stared down at her brother.

She opened her arms and hugged him, digging her face into his back. She fell onto her knees, crying right into his cloak. All three men stared at Asenath. Yami was a bit shocked, then looked down at Asenath. Asenath, shaking, held onto him, licking her lips and just holding onto him. She was nearly sobbing into his back.

"Asenath, what is it? What's wrong?" He asked. She let him go and she sobbed into her hands. Yami knelt down in front of her.

"Asenath? Asenath, please, what's wrong?" he whispered. Asenath glanced up at him.

"I don't want you to die," she whispered. She was shaking terribly hard.

"What? Asenath, I'm fine, look! I've been fine the whole time!" he said. Asenath shook her head.

"That's not what I mean!" she exclaimed. She couldn't do it. There was no way. "I don't want you to die ever!" She cried, wrapping her arms around herself. "It's not supposed to be this way…"

"What the hell is she going on about?" Jono asked. Tiet shrugged. Seto sighed.

He knew.

He knew her secret.

He just didn't realize how close it was becoming.

**_

* * *

_**

"The prince returned!"

"I thought he was dead!"

"He survived, somehow—"

"I wonder what happened to that servant girl—"

"Why did he return?"

"What will become of him now?"

Whispers and rumors ran around the city that very night. Yami had surprised Sekhem, and Sekhem had surprised Yami. People who were in the palace daily, or people in his own family, were overly shocked to see him. Sekhem had nearly jumped him when he saw him, Yami being overwhelmed since Sekhem had cleared his own height. Now both of his siblings were taller then him. Other people were glad and surprised to see him, Mahaado having much of the same reaction as Seto.

Yami was sitting on the stone steps up to his father's throne, Sekhem beside him, talking to his brother.

"So, what's his name?" Sekhem asked. Yami smiled.

" 'Zvallah'. It means 'Little Gift' in their language." Sekhem whistled.

"It is amazing that Teana had a baby. Zvallah." Sekhem said the foreign name a few more times before smiling. "I want to meet him."

"He's your nephew, I'm sure you'll get to meet him someday," Yami explained. "When he's older, at least." Sekhem leaned onto his forearms.

"Why did you come back, Atemu?" he asked suddenly. "Was it because…"

"Yes, because Jono told me that our father is dying." Yami sighed and put his head in his hands. "How could something like this happen?"

"I don't know," Sekhem said softly. The thirteen-year-old leaned close to his brother and put a hand on his shoulder. "Things happen that we can't explain."

"But why did it have to be this?" Yami said. He sighed again. Sekhem said nothing. "There's no way it could get worse."

"I hate to tell you," Sekhem said, staring out the window, "but it certainly can. Once Father dies, not only will those foreigners who attacked three years ago try again, but Chaos will happen." Yami perked up at the sound of the old term.

"Chaos? But—"

"Because he'll be dead," Sekhem explained. "So there'll be no one to control the Sennen Puzzle. It won't let me, and you don't want to. Yami, you're literally the only person who can control it." Sekhem leaned in closer. "It doesn't matter what you did or who says what. To the gods, you were born first. You are the first-born son, Atemu. You – not me – will inherit the Puzzle." Yami said nothing in return. He knew this fact. He knew it well. Chaos would consume all living things. All breathing, living things that have one once of light inside them. It was the reason the Items were created, to keep this Chaos, this darkness, away.

"Oh, shit," Yami whispered. "I know. I know all of it. But… if I were to take that responsibility… I would have to—"

"Become Pharaoh," Sekhem answered. He tightened his grip on his brother's shoulder. "Maybe you should finally reconsider. Maybe you should be Pharaoh—"

A shudder, a tremble of fear ran through his body. Ever since he could remember, this tremble entered his body when he thought of himself as Pharaoh. It was a strange feeling. Almost as if, somewhere, in the back of his mind…

"…Maybe I should," Yami said. The voice in his mind shouted NO! DON'T! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'LL HAPPEN IF YOU DO!

That voice reminded him of Asenath. Yami, wondering if Sekhem knew this big 'mysterious' thing Asenath had seen, leaned closer to him.

"Sekhem," Yami whispered, "Remember, three years ago, on the eve of the war, when Asenath had that… dream?"

"The one that freaked her out so much? Yes," Sekhem said gravely. He shuddered. "I've never seen her like that before."

"Do you know what she saw?" Yami asked. Sekhem sighed.

"I wish I did. But Asenath refuses to tell me." Yami sighed and leaned back on the palm of his hands. He closed his eyes.

"Sekhem… I may have a hunch as to what Asenath saw that night, that scared her so badly," Yami said, turning to Sekhem with a serious look. "I think I know what she predicted that freaked her out so much." Sekhem glanced around; checking to make sure Asenath wasn't in earshot. Then he leaned in.

"What?"

"I think… the reason she was so scared… was because… She predicted…" he took a deep breath. He lowered his voice to a whisper.

"She saw my death."

**_

* * *

_**

"Momma?" Zvallah said, tugging on Teana's skirt. Teana turned around and crouched down to her son, pulling him into the air.

"Yes, Zvallah? What is it?" She asked, smiling at him. She held him in her arms like she did when he was an infant. Zvallah put his arms around Teana's neck.

"Where Da?" he asked for the umpteenth time. Teana sighed and rolled her eyes playfully.

"Zvallah, I've told you so many times," She said, tickling his stomach playfully. Zvallah laughed at the action. "He's gone for a little while, but he'll come home soon, okay?" Zvallah nodded, leaning against her. Teana rubbed his back and held him close. She stared out at the sinking sun, the light washing over her.

She didn't tell Kenneth; she didn't tell Sati, or Scenna, or even Savannah what she held in her heart. She knew the moment Yami left what would happen. She hugged Zvallah close and squeezed her eyes shut, but she knew.

She would never see him again. She took a shuddering breath and tried not to cry. She didn't want Zvallah to know. She knew that Yami would never come back. How she knew, she was unsure. All she remembered was when she first met Asenath.

She knew, like most people in Kemet, that Asenath was not a normal girl. From birth, she has been somewhat a prodigy. Things that the gods foresee, they accidentally slip to her in her unconscious, causing her dreams to be foretelling of the near and far future. Everyone knew this. Everyone knew that Asenath couldn't speak of what she saw until twenty-four hours before it happened.

But she knew the other truth as well. The one that chilled her, and others, to the bone. The fact, the very fact, that Asenath, one night, had a terrible, frightening, horrible, morose dream. A dream in which, she saw the very end of this city.

The city she lived in now. Not Teana's home in the mountains, but Kemet. The end of the city's use and existence.

But what did that mean? Teana wondered endlessly. She knew that Yami knew as well; that's how she knew. But he was confused, too.

What was the truth that Asenath saw that night? That left her weak and shaking, cold and horrified, so horrified she was almost sick. All Teana knew was that she had a meeting with her father, and when she came out, she couldn't stand to look at her younger brother for the entire day.

What had Asenath seen that horrible night? Teana wiped her tears away with a cold hand. She was scared. As scared as anyone. She sighed and closed her eyes.

"I love you… Atemu," she whispered, her arms shaking. Zvallah opened his eyes and palced a hand on his mother's cheek.

"What wrong?" he asked, oblivious to his mother's pain. Teana just smiled and kissed his forehead gently, brushing the bangs from his forehead.

**_

* * *

_**

(x3 sorry for such a long wait for an update. I was having major compy issues. Anyway, I'm back. Oooh, it's getting close to the end… ;.; nuuuu! Anyway… Yeah… things are starting to come together. Because Yami and Asenath have a mental link, the thing she frets about (seeing his death in a dream three years ago) made it into his brain, tucked away in the back that gives him a mental fear of being Pharaoh. Why? Because he knows in the back of his mind that soon after becoming Pharaoh, he dies. n.n;; Well, anyway… the next chappie, Yami's father dies:o Next chap: Turning Point. I wonder…)

**Shibby****-One…**

**…has 'Dare You To Move' stuck in her head.**


	13. Turning Point

_(First update in Decemeber. n.n Happy Holidays, everyone!__ I prolly won't update again 'till the New Year, so, until then—!)_

**Light the Flame**

**Chapter Thirteen**

**_Turning Point_**

Yami was almost afraid that, if he went to see his father without anyone telling him first, the shock would kill him. The sixteen-year-old stayed clear of him until someone told him. Unfortunately, not many people knew he was alive. It was kept a close, quiet secret, so the city wouldn't get rowdy.

"I'll tell him," Sekhem said gently one morning. He glanced into the upper reaches of the palace. "Father is going to die any day now. He needs to know." He took a deep, shuddering breath, and headed up the stairs. Yami sat on the bottom step, still dressed in his desert attire, staring after Sekhem. He was afraid. Afraid that his father would be angry with him.

The entire reason he came back was to see him one more time.

Asenath leaned against a wall behind a pillar, watching Yami from a distance. She already knew. She knew that her father was going to die soon; she'd seen his death in her mind. But she had known since she was very young that her father was old – he was old when she was born – and that he would die soon. It wasn't that she was worried about.

It was what happened _after_ that scared her so. She glanced around the pillar, her hair swinging over her shoulders, and stared at Yami. He was staring at his feet, sighing. He lifted his head and rung his hands, staring up the stairs. Asenath could feel his anticipation.

Asenath slowly slid from her hiding spot to wear Yami was sitting. He looked up at the sound of her bare feet. She was wearing a black dress that wrapped around her entire body and reached her feet, with no straps over her shoulders because it was tight enough without them. She sat down next to Yami as he looked the other way.

"Yami… Atemu," she said softly. "You've fulfilled Father's wish."

"What wish?" Yami asked in a muffled voice.

"His wish that you would someday return alive," she said softly. Yami turned to her. She closed her eyes and nodded. "It's his wish, Atemu. Please… Don't be scared."

"I'm not," he said defiantly. "I guess I'm just… mad. And kind of… Well…"

"Afraid?"

"Yeah," Yami admitted. "Yeah, I guess so. It's just… I feel really unwanted. Everyone's so uneasy around me."

"Maybe because you appeared out of nowhere, when the majority of the people here believed you had died," Asenath said, smiling. Yami closed his eyes and sighed.

"Is that what they thought?" he asked softly. He chuckled under his breath. "We're not that weak. Teana and I made it alive."

"I know," Asenath said, leaning forwards. She placed her head in her hands and smiled at Yami. "They thought that because that's what _I_ thought."

"You!"

"Yes, me. I saw in a dream that you and Teana just… I don't know. You were lying in the sand, unmoving, blood everywhere… I saw people come across you." She gazed into the distance. "The people lifted your bodies and rode away. From the way it looked, I… I though you were dead." Yami smiled and sat up straight.

"I'm here, and I'm alive and well, Nefer-Asen," he said, smiling.

**_

* * *

_**

"He's weak. And he doesn't believe us," Sekhem said, frowning. He put a hand on his waist, and gazed up the stairs. Mana was sitting on the edge of a fallen stone pillar, her elbows on her knees. They were outside of the palace where they found Yami just sitting alone.

"Ohh…" Yami muttered. He glanced at Mana. "Is this true?"

"Very," Mana muttered, sighing. "He thought we were fooling him." Yami glanced up the stairs to the front of the huge palace. It loomed over them like a bad memory.

"Whoa!" A voice came from nearby to them. They glanced out of the courtyard onto the main path from the palace. Asenath was standing there, one hand covering her eyes, the other on her waist, staring into the distance.

"What is it?" Yami asked, alarmed. Sekhem and Mana followed him as he left the courtyard and stood next to his sister. Asenath shook her head.

"Its there again," she muttered. Yami looked to where she was looking.

What seemed to be a gigantic dark cloud was hovering in the very far distance of the city. It was a mish of dark, dreary colors, and sent a shiver down Yami's spine.

"What _is_ that?" he asked. But the other three were insanely silent and serious. Asenath said something to Mana, and Mana nodded and ran off into the city.

"It's getting serious," Sekhem said softly. Yami looked at them, looked at what seemed to be a rain cloud, and looked back at his siblings.

A sudden understanding washed over his body as he gasped. He stared at the looming cloud.

"Is… is that…?"

"Yep," Asenath said sullenly. "That's the sign that our father is going to die." Sekhem gulped.

"What will happen?" he asked timidly. Asenath shook her head.

"All I can say is… all hell will break loose, I suppose."

Silence greeted this statement. Yami put his hands in his cloak pockets and just shook his head. It hurt him to think that his father could die, and that this could happen. While lying in his bed the night before, he tossed the notion of becoming Pharaoh back and forth, around and around in his head. Part of him felt that it _was_ his duty, and since the Puzzle had chosen him _anyway_, was there any choice? But there was another part, hidden deep within him, that was mortally afraid of being Pharaoh. Of course it was tough, but that wasn't the reason. It wasn't the danger or the corruption or the failure that could come with ruling a country.

It was something else. This mental fear had been with him for a long time. He couldn't quite place the time it had started. Probably when he was around ten years old, he began to realize that he was insanely _terrified_ of the Sennen Items.

How, or why…. He didn't know. All he remembered was waking up with a heavy heart, full of pain and confusion and… fear.

And Sekhem telling him something that Asenath had been doing something strange in the middle of the night, and that her hands turned black…

Yami shook his head. His thoughts and memories were becoming jumbled…

_…black hands?..._

"Yami? You alright?" Sekhem asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. Yami nodded.

"Yeah. Just kinda… tired, I guess." Asenath crossed her arms. Yami kept his eyes on her hands.

_They don't look black. Why do I remember black hands?_ He thought. Come to think of it… sometimes her fingers would be grey, or her fingernails red. Almost as if she attempted to scrub…_paint_ off of them?

He knew Asenath painted – she decorated the walls of the palace. She was also an excellent writer. But… she did all that during the day.

Did she paint at night, too? And with ink, not paint?

Did she use her hands? But you only use hands when you're painting the rooms of sacred temples…

_Asenath is different,_ Yami thought as the three of them went inside. _She always has been. She was born underneath Osiris; she is the highest living form of him. She was born with a 'window' to the gods in her mind. But are there things even _we_ don't know about?_

As Yami dwelled on this, his thoughts slowly revolved to Teana. He closed his eyes with pain as he thought about her. Thinking about her reminded him of his loneliness without her, and how much he wanted her back.

He wanted to go back more then anything. He didn't belong here; he belonged with Teana and Zvallah. He belonged with the people he loved. Yes, his family was here, but he wasn't the same as them anymore.

He wanted, more than _anything_, to speak to Teana. He wanted her to comfort him. She was always good at that. He wanted her to just _be_ here – just her presence made everything so much easier to handle.

It was like _hell_ without her here.

**_

* * *

_**

"Father…?" Asenath said, kneeling next to the bed. She placed her hand on top of her fathers, smiling. Her father, Ankumanukanon, smiled at her. He was weak, and sickly from who knows what; he was comforted to see his only daughter there with him.

"Father, did Sekhem come here to tell you that Atemu was here?" she asked timidly. Ankumanukanon chuckled.

"Why, yes he did," he said, smiling, speaking with a hoarse voice. "I don't suppose you sent him to say that?" Asenath smiled back at him.

"I never did anything. He came because it's the truth." Ankumanukanon sighed.

"Please, Asenath – I don't need this now…"

"No, Father, please listen," Asenath begged. Yami was right outside the room, listening intently. "it's the truth; he's right outside the room."

"Really, now? Show me, then. Atemu," he called weakly, "come out from where you're hiding."

"I'm not hiding," Yami said, stepping out from behind the wall. Asenath smiled as Ankumanukanon gasped in disbelief. Yami couldn't believe how weak his father was. He had always believed his father to be almost like a stone; never falling, never breaking, always strong and willful.

Now he was a feeble man, an _old_ man. Yami knelt next to Asenath and looked down upon his father. Ankumanukanon, with what little strength he had, sat up and just stared at Yami.

"…Yami? Is that… really you?" he asked in disbelief. Yami smiled, trying to hide the tears from his face.

"Y-yes, Father…" he whispered, wiping his eyes with his arm. Ankumanukanon smiled at his son.

"Oh, Yami… I…. I thought I'd never see you again… I…" he was at a loss for words.

"Jono and Tiet brought him back with them," Asenath said, smiling. She was talking softly to the old man. "Father; Yami has a _son._"

"A son? You?" and he laughed. For the first time since he became sick, Ankumanukanon laughed. It was a light laugh, a hoarse laugh, but it was also a laugh of relief.

_His son was alive._

"What's his name, this son?" he asked.

"His name is Zvallah," Yami answered. "It means 'Little Gift' in Teana's native language."

"Teana, the servant-dancer girl, Teana?" Ankumanukanon asked. Yami nodded.

"Yes, I… I married her, Father."

"I see. And that's why…"

"That's why I left." Ankumanukanon lay back down and shook his head.

"You nearly killed me, you know," he said, chuckling about it. "But… even if you are illegal… you're alive. And that's all I care about now…"

Yami stretched his arms out at the foot of the bed and lowered his head. He knew his father was dying; he knew he would probably die within the next day, if not the next few days. He could tell.

But he just didn't want it to be true.

**_

* * *

_**

Teana couldn't help it. She crossed her arms across her chest and stayed firm with her decision.

"I'm _going,_" she protested, standing up. Zvallah stared in awe as his mother stood, walking away from the comfort of the night fear.

"Hmm, I wonder what we'll tell Yami when he gets back?" Sati joked.

" 'Oh, I'm sorry, Yami, but you're wife ran off looking for you because she doesn't trust that you'll be back in a few days'," Kenneth mimicked, sparking laughter. Teana frowned.

"It isn't _funny,_ Kenneth," she said, staring off into the distance. "I want him to come home. It's not safe there for him."

"His father is dying; give him some time," Sati said, rolling his eyes as if it were obvious. "He needs time to be with his other family." Teana tightened the grip she had around herself.

"I know… I… just… love him too much," she whispered while the others moved onto another topic. She closed her eyes and allowed her tears to fall, one by one, on her bare arms. She shivered in the night air and stared up at the sky.

"I'm going to find you. I'm going to get you back here safely. I love you too much to let you go now," she whispered, licking her lips in the night.

**_

* * *

_**

The looming cloud was felt all over the city. It seemed, even though the cloud had disappeared, the feeling remained. The entire city, every single person, could feel it. A sudden sorrow, a sudden depression seemed to befall the city. No one was sure, at first, what it could mean. Was something about to happen? _Did_ something happen?

Then the news came.

"What is it?"

"—Did you hear?"

"—what did you hear about—"

"—What's the truth?—"

"The Pharaoh is dead!"

**_

* * *

_**

_(Teheh.__ Well, this is where it gets even CLOSER to the fricken' Egypt arc. The part where Yami is wondering about Asenath's hands… That'll prolly never be explained, I don't think. n.n;; I THINK. I don't know yet. Well, I already know what's gonna happen, and how everything ties into the Egypt arc, and where Asenath disappears to during the Egypt arc. I thought ahead. The next chapter'll be kind of a reflection on Yami's past – the paint thing is important – and Teana, somehow, comforts Yami in his time of need…Next chap: "Comfort")_

**Shibby-One**


	14. Comfort

(Hello, all! Heh, this is a lil chappy continuing the story… the ink thing doesn't become important until later. x3. :Glances at Baka Neko Moly-chan: …I dunno if I'm gonna be able to write this chap after writing that sidestory… x3;; Well, anyway… Sorry for the late update.)

**Light the Flame  
****Chapter 14  
****_Comfort_**

Asenath rubbed her hands together. The ink was still staining onto her hands. She sighed and rubbed harder, her palms turning pink. She just _had_ to get it all off. If anyone saw…

"Asenath! Asenath!" a cry called. Asenath looked up quickly, drying her hands on her waist. The dark fabric made the paint stains invisible. Asenath turned on her heels and stood straight. Sekhem was running towards her, slipping in the wet grass.

"Asenath! You'll never believe this! Look!" he cried, pulling her by the arm. Asenath didn't reply, just allowed her younger brother to pull her.

Gasping for breath, he pulled her out into the open and pointed towards the northern sky.

Asenath gasped and froze.

A humongous, dark, disgusting, choking aura filled the air. A cloud just as ominous seemed to be forming over the city. It blocked out the sun completely. The cries of people could be heard as a steady rain fell over the land.

But it wasn't a soaking rain. Sekhem began to shiver and wrap his arms around himself. Asenath was fine. She glanced at Sekhem, confused.

"Sekhem? What is it?" she asked. She placed both hands on both of his shoulders and shook him lightly. "Sekhem?" But Sekhem didn't answer. The rain burned his skin horribly. It hurt so bad, he couldn't speak. All he did was push Asenath away, walk backwards a few steps…

He lost his balance. Asenath was almost watching in a suspended time – he fell so slowly, but so quickly, that she didn't have _time_ to react.

His body connected with the ground.

It was happening all over the city.

**_

* * *

_**

They weren't given any _time_ to react.

"Oh, shit…" Jono muttered as the cloud hung over them. "Oh, Gods…"

Yami was watching as well, hanging out of a window. He just shook his head.

There was only one way to stop this.

The Items.

"Oh my God…" Yami whispered, staring at the sky. He backed into the window until he hit the wall across from the window. This was it. His father was dead; they would either all be tortured here, or –

_Someone has to control that damned Puzzle._

Yami rolled up his sleeves. He turned and ran, his cloak flying out from behind him. He made a sharp turn, skidding into the main hall, and took the stairs two at a time. His feet hurt; he was tired; his mind, heart and soul were all buzzing at different rates. If he let his guard down, he would fall to the ground, fatigued, tired, scared, and listless. It took all the energy he possessed to keep himself going.

If he remembered one thing – _one thing_ – about learning to be Pharaoh—

_You're people always came first._

Yami took a step onto the landing and fell. It was ultimate chaos. He landed on his knees on the hard, stone floor, and he rolled onto his side, clutching his knee.

"Ohh… Oww… shit," he muttered, wincing. He opened one eye and saw that he fell onto something small and sharp…

A piece of gold. Yami's eyes widened as he snatched the little piece into his hand.

It was a piece of the Puzzle.

"No…" he whispered, standing up. He ran down the hallway, seeing more pieces. It looked as if they had been kicked by accident. He found a huge cluster of them near the end of the hallway.

_Oh, no,_ he thought, falling to his knees. He began scooping the pieces into his arms, his body shaking while he was at it. All he could think about was the state of the Puzzle.

_What am I gonna do? The Puzzle is worthless unless solved. And… I'm the only one who can solve it._ He stared at the pieces in his lap. As people rushed around, running down the hallway, yelling, screaming, falling, being impaled with this burning, sinful rain…

Yami took two pieces and connected them together. They made a small click. For a moment, he was the only one there. The only one that mattered.

He even thought he saw Jono trip and slide through all the scattered pieces – maybe kicking a few as he went by. But it didn't matter. Something was driving at him; something, something inside _pushed_ him. Sekhem wasn't around, anyway. He could just _solve_ it and give it to him – right?

Right?

**_

* * *

_**

Jono felt his body give way. The burning sensation was too great. He knew down in the city people were collapsing left and right. They were failing, dying. They're lives were shortening with every moment that passed.

Soon, they would all be dead. With the exception of the few who were immune to this devil rain.

Asenath was one of them. As Jono knelt on the ground, head bowed, panting, Asenath put her arms around him to protect him from the rain.

"Jono! You have to get that to my brother!" she said, the rain picking up pace. Jono opened one eye.

_What piece? She expects me to move in this? If I go any farther, I'll die!_ he thought. He cast his eyes to the ground. _What about… my family?_

He then noticed the glint of gold. It was a little spec, but one itself. Both Asenath's and Jono's eyes widened.

It was a small piece of gold, embedded with the shape of an eye. It was a few inches from Jono's left hand.

They both stared at it for a moment. Then Asenath reached out and grabbed the piece, slamming it into Jono's hand.

"Wha—Asenath!" he said. Asenath took the cape from around her shoulders and put it around Jono instead.

"This'll protect you from the rain," she said. She smiled a weak smile. "For a time."

"Asenath, why can't you do this! I have to go down to the city and—" Asenath covered his mouth with her hand. She had a look in her face that was a mixture of sadness and anxiety.

"Listen," she said in a soft voice. "I know it doesn't make sense. And it won't, for a very long time. Just trust me on this, okay? Get this to Yami. _Now._" With that, she stood and ran down the path, headed towards the city.

Jono stood, pulling the dark cape over his head. He ran back to the palace, barely standing up. All he could think was that he had to get the piece to Yami as fast as possible.

**_

* * *

_**

"Oh, God, where is it? Please – let it be near—" Yami stopped short in the hallway. He could see the downpoor of firey rain. He gulped.

Although he was a Prince, and supposedly, in the God's eyes, still heir to the throne, he wasn't immune to this kind of thing. He would be impaled like everyone else. He had seen servants and others being treated in the palace from the rain. But it was only so long that this could keep going…

Soon they would all have perished.

_And he was missing a piece!_

As he put more pieces together, the easier it became to decipher. The easier it was to put together. It became easier and easier, the Puzzle once more forming an inverse pyramid—

There was a piece missing. He already combed the same hall twice, as well as surrounding hallways.

It was gone.

"Shit! No!" he cried, shaking. He looked at the almost-complete Puzzle in his hands. No, this couldn't be happening! Not now!

Not when he _needed_ this Ra-forsaken thing the most!

Yami ran down the hall until he came to the balcony over the courtyard. The one he had seen his entire life. The one that his father used to stand on, watching over the crowds…

Yami looked out at the devastation this had caused.

Almost instantaneously, right after his Father died… after the connection to the Items was disbanded, with no proper owner… Hell opened. Yami knew that it was a reaction, and it would soon end.

But not before cleansing this land of all the life.

Yami fell to his knees. He laid the Puzzle onto the marble ground, and just put his hands over his face. Was this happening everywhere? He wondered. Not just in—

_Teana._

Yami's eyes shot open. His hands over his face, he lowered them and slammed his fists into the ground.

"Damnit!" he cried. The pain of his fist connecting with the ground shot through his arms, searing pain ricocheting through his fragile body.

He clenched his teeth together to keep from crying out. But was it true? Was Teana… Was she in danger of death? What about Zvallah?

The realization that he may never see her again began to sink in. All the of the time, all of the heartache and pain they went through… everything they'd done… was it all worthless? Would it come to an end now?

"No…" he shook his head. "No, it won't. They'll see. Teana'll see…" He leaned forward, his body shaking. The fatigue was setting in; his heart felt as if it would explode from all of the feelings it contained. All the emotion was becoming too much for him to bear…

He fell forwards. His body connected with the floor, and he lay motionless on the stone balcony, lying on his stomach, his arms near his head.

The Puzzle was laid on the floor near to him, glinting. The hole in the front vibrant and noticeable… The city was still slowly burning. The rain was still falling steadily. It was a surprise; it was unwanted, uncalled for. No one knew what an effect that the precious, fragile unity of the Items had on their lives. Not the way they lived their lives, but their very lives.

One false move; one uncertainty, and they would all be dead… This chaos, it wouldn't stop here. It would continue, throughout any place that held life…

Slowly, very slowly, so slowly one might not notice at first… his breathing stopped.

**_

* * *

_**

_"Atemu?" a soft voice said in his ear. Yami's eyes didn't open, but his ears perked up. He could feel the soft bed beneath him. It was warm, where ever he was. And it smelled inviting. Someone's hand was on his face. They were pushing his bangs out of his eyes, slowly caressing his cheek…_

_Amethyst met with gold. Teana smiled, lying on her stomach, her hand on his cheek. He was also lying on his stomach, his head turned to face her. He smiled. He felt warm and at ease._

_This was the way it was supposed to be; not fighting a war against beings too powerful for them to even see. War waged against Gods… would always end in death._

_"Are you… alright?" she asked slowly. Yami reached up and took her hand in his. He just closed his eyes and held tightly to her hand, stroking her fingers. He was tired and wanted to go back to sleep in this comforting place…_

_"Hey, you, wake up," she said, a giggle to her voice. He gave a muffled grunt in response._

_"No. I'm tired. I want to sleep," he retaliated. Teana sat up and placed a hand on the back of his head._

_"…Please?" she whispered. Yami looked up and pushed himself up to meet her face. He certainly looked tired._

_"Please, Teana," he said in a soft voice. "I'm just… really tired." Teana shushed him and placed a hand on his lips._

_"Don't be," she said, smiling. "The sun is up."_

_"So?" Yami asked. He yawned and leaned against her, fatigued. Teana just rolled her eyes._

_"You'll be letting everyone down if you sleep longer," she said. "What about you're job? What you're supposed to do?"_

_"I'll do it later," Yami muttered. Teana frowned._

_"But… what if there is no later, Yami? What if this is your last chance? You never know. What if something happens? Besides," she smiled devilishly. "You can always sleep afterwards. Then you can sleep knowing you accomplished something." Yami shrugged. Teana leaned in and kissed him gently. After pulling away, she closed her eyes._

_"I love you."_

**_

* * *

_**

"Yami! Yami! Yami, where _are_ you! I have a piece! I think you might want it!" Jono called, running through the halls. He came to the balcony where the Pharaoh had always spoken…

"Yami!" Jono cried, landing on his knees. He flipped the unmoving figure over onto his back.

"Yami! Yami, wake up! Please!" Jono begged. After a moment of this, Jono did the only thing he could think of.

He slapped him. Hard. The sound of his hand hitting his face echoed throughout the halls.

Yami's eyes burst open. He rolled over and began coughing into his hand, breathing hard. He looked up at Jono.

Jono wasn't sure, but it seemed like his eyes were shining with tears…

"Are you sure you're alright?" Jono asked, alarmed. Yami nodded and swallowed.

"I just… just needed to rest… I think…." Jono looked at the piece in his hand. Then he looked at Yami.

"I think you'll need this," he said. Yami took it from him.

It was the piece he needed. He glanced at the Puzzle, lying on it's side, all alone. He reached over and picked it up, staring at it. Slowly, with all the strength he could muster, he stood, and pushed the last piece in.

Nothing happened. For a moment.

As suddenly as Jono's slap had been, the eye began to glow. It was soft at first, but the glow became brighter until it enveloped the entire Puzzle. Yami's eyes widened in surprise. Jono backed away as Yami's body also became engulfed in this… light.

People were peering out of windows and from behind doors, looking at the strange light emitting from the palace.

A strong wind began to pick up as the lights swirled and traveled around him. The Puzzle itself wasn't even in his hands anymore; it was suspended over them. Yami wasn't even aware of the glowing eye embossed into his forehead.

All he remembered were the words.

**_I have chosen you._**

**_

* * *

_**

_(x3 Well, anyway. I wrote this in about a half hour… Well, I finished it in about a half hour. And 'Dare You To Move' has ended, so now just normal grey lines as pagebreaks. I have midterms next week, so I'm going to try to update as many fics as possible. Happy New Year, and until then—Next chap: What was the ink on Asenath's hands? And how did Asenath know that Yami would be the one to solve the Puzzle? Why – how – does Asenath just… know? Next chap: Answers)_

**Shibby-One**


	15. Answers

_(Hee! Almost done. **Yami:** "So, when is it gonna follow the EA, huh?" **Me:** :beat beat: It's getting there! I just finished re-reading 'Dance the Forbidden Dance', naar. You just solved the Puzzle, Goddamnit! You can wait a few more chapters, right? **Yami**: Hmpf. BTW, listening to Shinedown while typing is a good CD to listen to. )_

**Light the Flame**

**Chapter 15**

**_Answers_**

A warm, tingling sensation ran through Yami's body. He felt as if every fiber of his being was being warmed and strengthened. His body felt lightened. Almost as if the very entity that is Kemet rushed through him.

Someone took his hand. Yami looked up as someone pulled him to his feet. He felt as if he were looking into his own eyes.

His hand was being held by a man who looked _just like himself._ Yami was taken aback at first. The man smiled, his eyes glinting gold. He was the same, yet different. The man had a different eye color. Different aura about him. Dressed as if he were a god, he took

both of Yami's hands in his own. The golden eye of Horus became embossed on both their foreheads.

_'I'm glad that you've finally accepted me,'_ the man said. Although he never moved his mouth to speak. Yami blinked.

"Accepted you? Who are you?" but the man did not answer. He placed a finger on his lips to silence him, and a hand on his forehead.

_'I am the Sennen Puzzle,'_ the man answered, before darkness overcame the once-Prince's mind.

**

* * *

**

Jono wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. Yami was nowhere to be seen within the glowing star that was before him. Jono only backed up, still on the ground, staring in wonder and awe. It was incredible. It radiated a light so warm and bright, it was almost unearthly. A celestial light that made Jono shiver.

Slowly, the giant _thing_ lowered, and the light disappeared back into the Puzzle. It seemed to form almost a bird shape, sprouting two glorious wings and flying back into the center piece. It left Yami with a thin aura around him, lowering him gently. Jono could hear Yami as he mumbled "…back from whence you came…"

As soon as Yami's bare feet hit the stone, he began toppling backwards into a dead faint. Jono caught him before he hit the ground, and held his body steady. Jono sighed in exasperation. Yami was spending a lot of time unconscious today.

"Prince-sama, you have to wake up now," Jono said, shaking him. But Yami remained still. Jono just supported his body and figured he would wake up when time needed him to. He instead redirected his attention to the Puzzle.

It's center was glinting a little bit, just a little. It was smooth and bright, as if it never aged a day since it was made. And the smoothness fazed him. It didn't seem as if it had infinite puzzle pieces to it. Jono touched it's surface. It was just so beautiful… how could something so beautiful scare someone so easily?

"Jono!" Yami screeched as he sat up bolt right. He was breathing hard, and quickly scrambled out of Jono's lap. He stood up and brushed of his cloak. Then he placed his hands on the Puzzle.

"You solved the Puzzle, Yami," Jono said, standing next to his companion. "It accepted you." Yami remained silent. He stared out at the horizon. It was still dark with the thick, poisonous cloud of chaos. People were dying.

_He had to do something._

"Jono," Yami whispered. He stared at his friend straight in the eye. "I have to do something."

"Do _what?"_ Jono cried, exasperated. Yami shook his head and licked his lips.

"I don't know. Something." With that, Yami walked near to the edge of the large balcony. He knelt down, leaning forwards. He placed his hands on the ground gently, his fingers visibly shaking from fear. He could feel a bubbling sensation inside of him. Was something going to happen to him? He could almost feel it. Something was going to happen. He knew it. It almost felt as if he would puke, with the sensation growing in his throat.

He closed his eyes and took deep, slow breaths. Jono, unsure of what to do, watched him. He glanced at the sky again, afraid of the pelting, stinging rain…

_Ba-bump._

Jono felt a heartbeat. It was strong and loud. He felt it go straight through him, as if the building itself had a beating heart. Another pulse of power zoomed over him. It was so strong that it blasted Jono right off his feet the second time.

"Ahhhhhoooooohhhhhhhhh—umpf!" Jono cried, hitting a wall. He could feel warm blood trickling through his hair. He looked up, and his eyes widened. He had to cover his mouth to keep from yelling out.

Two long, beautiful, feathery, golden wings protruded from Yami's back. They were elegant and regal, having an angelic glow to them. Jono watched and his eyes widened again.

When they arrived to the city, Yami was dressed as a scruffy foreigner. Now… he adorned the regal attire of a Pharaoh.

Jono couldn't believe what he was seeing. Especially because, on the horizon, the same golden feathers that adorned the beautiful wings seemed to have formed into light. It was shining through the feathers, through the thick clouds. It seemed to wash over the city, bringing warmth.

Jono had to shield his eyes. It was like looking into the sun. At first he thought he was; until he realized… That the golden glow was protruding from Yami's thin frame.

Yami stood, air billowing around him. Those large, golden wings fluttered once as Yami turned to nearly face Jono. Yami opened his eyes as he turned towards Jono.

He was, indeed, dressed as a Pharaoh. Although, at the moment, he looked as if he might have been an angel. The Puzzle was almost vibrating with it's holy power.

Soon, the wings faded into feathers that blew away, and the scruffy wanderer returned. Yami gripped the Puzzle in his hands, and then looked out over the city. The people were clamorous with celebration, embracing the warmth of the sun.

"Does this mean…" Jono started, but he trailed off. Yami bit his lower lip.

"Yes, Jono. It means… I've been accepted to be Pharaoh."

**

* * *

**

The people of the city were joyous. Injured people were recovering, and the sun embraced them. It hadn't been this bright or healthy for months.

Maia peered out of her house. With Misora in hand, she stared at the sky, sun grazing over her cold body. Misora clung to her mother, staring at the sky in awe.

"Momma, what happened?" she asked, looking up at the older woman. Maia shook her head.

"I don't know, Misora. Maybe… Oh!" Maia said, seeing someone in the crowds. Someone dressed in all black was running through the crowd, yelling to the crowd. Telling them joyous news.

It was Asenath. She was accompanied by Sekhem.

"A Pharaoh's been chosen!" they were shouting. People looked at each other in confusion. "Atemu's returned and he solved the Puzzle!"

"What?" Maia cried in surprise. "Yami? He's _alive?_" The people of the city were reacting in the same way. They looked around confused and dazed, murmuring and talking to each other.

"Initiation is tonight!" Sekhem was calling. The two siblings ran by, going to tell the rest of the city. Maia stared after them in confusion.

_Was it true? Could it be true?_

"Momma? What do they mean?" Misora asked. Maia bent down and lifted the small child into her arms, cuddling her daughter.

"There's a new Pharaoh, Misora," Maia said, smiling and nuzzling the little girl. The people around Maia were in shock.

"He's returned!"

"I thought he'd been condemned."

"The Puzzle chose him!"

"It was he who stopped that rain…"

**

* * *

**

"Does this necessarily have to happen now? I just got back this morning," Yami said to Isis. Isis sighed and crossed her arms in front of her.

"I know it seems rather rushed. Normally this is a painstakingly long process."

"I feel as if we're rushing into this. Can't we wait a few days?" He swung his legs absently in the air, tightening his grip on the stone underneath his hands. He was nervous as hell, and confused and disoriented; why was everything happening to _fast?_

"We can't waste any time," Seto said defiantly. "If this doesn't happen soon, who knows if that chaos will come back. I'm sorry, Yami." Yami remained silent. He didn't come back with the intentions of becoming Pharaoh. He put his head in his hands and rubbed his temples. It was all just _too much._

"No, I can't. Not now. Not when—" Yami stopped. Something had occurred to him.

"Something wrong?"

"That… did that spread all over the country? The _entire_ country? Or did it like, follow the Nile or something?" Asenath shrugged.

"I have no idea. I guess it followed the Nile." Yami gulped. Did that mean…

Did that mean it got to Teana's homeland!

"If I accepted this," Yami said slowly, placing a hand on the completed Puzzle, "will those injured people be better?"

"They'll heal faster, definitely," Asenath said, sighing. Yami remained silent. He _could_ do this; he was born into it. And if the Gods chose him… and now the Puzzle… what about that mysterious man he met? What was that about? But it didn't matter.

_If Teana was hurt by that chaos,_ Yami thought to himself, _then if I become Pharaoh, she'll heal faster. And… and then…_

_I can bring her and Zvallah to live here._

Yami thought it over in his head. The thought of being away from Teana for so long was boring down into his very soul. He _needed_ her. She was his _soul mate;_ he couldn't thrive without her.

"I'll… I'll do it," Yami muttered, taking in a great breath. He looked up at them all, every single person in the room. His eyes glittered with a valiant fear, almost, as if he was afraid and ready at the same time.

"I'll become the Pharaoh tonight."

**

* * *

**

"You're doing _what?_" Jono cried. He was excited and surprised all at once. "Seriously!"

"Yeah, seriously," Yami muttered half-heartedly. Jono was in disbelief.

"You _are_ nuts. I knew it," he proclaimed, pointing at Yami. "You were so _set_ against becoming Pharaoh, and now you are!" Yami smiled. Although Jono seemed furious, he was going about it quite comically. And it was cheering Yami up, just a little. Jono began pacing around the throne room. Yami was sitting on the stairs in front of the abandoned throne. At least, until he was initiated that night.

"Do you even know _why_ you were so dead-set against becoming Pharaoh?" he asked. Yami shrugged. "It doesn't make any sense. You were chosen at birth; yeah, okay, it might be scary, but being a leader isn't easy!" Yami shrugged.

"It's something else though, Jono. I just don't know what… It's not really being Pharaoh I'm afraid of… I'm afraid of _this,_" Yami said, gesturing to the Puzzle around his neck. Jono stared at it for a moment.

"Looks harmless to me," he said. Yami shrugged.

"It's… I don't know, Jono. I've just always felt… _uneasy_ about the Sennen Items." Jono stared at it longer. "… I think it was this that killed my father, although I'm not sure." Jono didn't respond. He was thinking about something.

"Wait… if… even though you ran away, broke a million laws and traditions, and defied your position as Prince… Just because you were first-born son, the Item still wouldn't let anyone but you have it?" Jono asked in a complicated question. Yami nodded.

"Basically."

"Then… since _Zvallah_ is _your_ first-born son… Won't _he_ be the only one the Puzzle accepts afer _you?"_ Yami intook breath sharply.

"I… I never thought of that," he said in almost a whisper. He glanced down at the Puzzle.

Would he want to subject Zvallah to this?

"…It's too late now to change that," Yami muttered. He sighed. "Zvallah is first-born. That's the way it is, I guess."

"Guess so." The two were silent for awhile, Yami thinking over what he had to do. That night, when the sun was completely down, the entire city would gather to see this declaration. Yami already knew what was going to happen; he'd been told many times. His priests would be initiated as well.

"Speakin' of Zvallah…" Jono muttered, glancing at his friend. "You haven't met Misora yet." Yami stared at Jono, confused.

"Who's… Oh! Oh, yeah, Misora. I forgot who she was, Jono. Sorry about that," Yami said sheepishly. He smiled at his friend. "I can't wait to meet her." Jono stared out the window as he leaned against the wall, his arms crossed before him. He pushed his blonde hair out of his face and sighed.

"You'll love her. She's… Zvallah will love her, too," he said, turning back to Yami. "She seems like the kind of person you would like, so maybe he would, too."

"You mean she acts like you, Jono-kun?" Yami asked playfully. Jono shrugged and smiled as Yami laughed. He felt more at ease now…

_CLANKkeerCRASHHHhhhhhPssssghh!_

Both men turned at the sound. A metal holder for a torch had fallen off the wall. The torch that it had been holding had fallen also, partially going out when it connected with stone.

"What the…" Jono said, walking over. Yami followed, glancing around for sudden movements or attackers. Becoming a Pharaoh could also mean gaining enemies.

No. It _did_ mean gaining enemies.

"Someone there?" Jono called down the hall in a warning tone. He placed his hand on his sword protectively; ready to strike in anyone was there. Yami peered around with him.

The hallway was dark and empty. This was a side hall-way to servants quarters; it also lead down into the depths of the palace, where everyone was forbidden to go.

"Seems like no one's here," Jono said, relieving himself of his sword. Yami glanced at the wall that the torch had been on.

He noticed long, thing, black marks on the wall beneath where the torch had been. Yami ran over to them, placing his hand on them.

"What the…" Jono whispered. He followed Yami and stood behind him, glancing over his short companion to the marks.

"Paint," Yami said, his fingertips stained with the dark substance. "…Or ink. I think it's too thin to be paint, actually. This is ink." He withdrew his hand from the wall and looked at Jono. "It's fresh."

"Look, there's more," Jono said, motioning to the thin trails. Along the wall were thin trails of ink, some fresh, some looking up to three or four years old. The two cautiously followed the trail of ink to where it stopped at a short doorway. The two looked at each other, and then went inside the room.

They were brought into a thin, darkly-lit hallway that led into another room. They seemed to be deep underground.

The hallway was very, very dark and dank, and it gave Yami an uneasy feeling. As if he weren't supposed to be here.

In his entire life, he had never seen this here before. Why hadn't he?

Soon they came across a dimly-lit room, covered, from top-to-bottom, in _hieroglyphs._

"Oh… my God…" Jono muttered as they stepped fully into the room. "This is surreal."

"…Whoa," Yami breathed. The walls, the ceilings, the floor… were covered in words, pictures, stories. Yami placed his hand on one of the walls, the shallow ceiling decorated like a night sky. Yami recognized this form of writing; it was curvy and messy. It was Asenath's writing.

"Wai! There's a map on the floor!" Jono cried in surprise. Yami glanced down, and jumped. On the floor was a huge map of what appeared to be the Nile. Yami let his eyes follow the river until it reached a painting of the city. Yami grazed his hands over the walls.

"Jono… I think this is Asenath's chamber," Yami whispered. He glanced over the words written hastily in stone.

They were stories of himself. His life. Even the story of when he was born was here. He looked it over, looking down the wall.

"What?" Jono asked. "What chamber?"

"The chamber in which she writes everything she sees, Jono," Yami said, blinking and turning to his companion. "Every single vision she sees she writes down. But until now, I had no idea where…"

"Is this why she always has ink on her hands?" Jono asked. He was on the other side of the chamber, staring in complete shock and confusion at the stories and pictures written there.

"Yeah… Jono?" Yami said, leaning back to see the other side better. "Something wrong?" Jono stepped back, staring.

"Yami… Look." Yami walked over, staring at the wall. At first he wasn't sure what was wrong with it. Then… he realized.

He didn't know who the hell Asenath was writing about.

"I've…never heard of any of these people in _my life,_" Yami whispered, placing a hand on the wall. His eyes grazed over it. These stories… they didn't make any sense! Neither did the pictures.

Unless…

"This must be… that thing she was talking about," Yami whispered in a hushed voice.

"Thing? What thing?" Jono asked. Yami turned to Jono.

"I've heard her tell Seto things. Things that haven't happened yet, and won't happen for a long, long time. But I don't know what they could possibly be about… This must be those things." Jono was silent and just looked at the wall himself.

"…Dear God," he said. He walked down the length of the room, his eyes trained on both walls. The floor was decorated in maps, the ceiling in different skylines.

Then he approached the farthest wall. It held the oldest painting of all; so old it was already starting to fade. Jono stared at it.

"Yami… what the hell is _this?"_ he asked, pointing to the farthest wall. Yami walked over and gasped, hands over his mouth.

Painted on the wall, in full color, were the Gods.

Osiris, Ra, and Obelisk.

**

* * *

**

Seto wasn't prepared for the sight he met right before the initiation. He was sent to find Asenath, who had disappeared about an hour earlier.

Sighing, he walked down the hallway, grumbling at this mission.

"Asenath… Asenath! Asenath, where are you? Come on out, Asenath!" He was approaching her room, anyway. Where _else_ would she be?

He stopped at her doorway, pushing his ear against the door. He wasn't surprised to hear the sounds of a sobbing person inside.

Concerned, Seto pushed the door open, calling Asenath's name in the process.

"Asenath! Are you alright? Are you…" He stopped. Asenath was sitting in her windowsill, her knees up to her head, her face buried in her arms. Already in her ceremonial priestess outfit, she was sobbing into her arms, apparently unaware that Seto had entered the room.

Seto stared at her. Her long black hair was falling over her shoulders, her halo braid wound tightly. He walked over to her, the wind blowing at her clothing, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Asenath?" he whispered gently, shaking her. Asenath gasped and looked up, her face tear-streaked. Obviously, she had put on her makeup before she started to cry. Asenath, shocked to see Seto in the room, just allowed him to gently wipe the tears and ink from her face where her kohl had run.

"Asenath? Why are you crying?" he asked. Asenath hiccupped and licked her lips. Seto pushed her hair around her ear so he could see her better.

Seeing her like this, her face covered in tears, shaking, crouched into a ball, reminded him of when they were children. After she first began having visions in her dreams, she would often cry about them. Eventually she grew out of it, but it still made him think of the little girl he once knew.

"Asenath… you… are you sure you're alright? Please – answer me," he said. Asenath sighed deeply, trying to control her crying. Her heart was pounding, as Seto was so close to her.

Seto sat on the windowsill across from her, his hands still on her shoulders. Asenath smiled a small smile and put her hands on his arms, pulling them from her shoulders.

"I'm scared, Seto," she whispered. Seto faltered.

"What?" Asenath sniffed and continued.

"The closer the moment comes to when Yami becomes Pharaoh…"

"Yes?"

"… the closer… the closer _it_ comes." Seto knew what she was talking about the moment she said 'it'. _It_ was a vision she had years ago. A vision that terrified her weeks after it.

Seto sighed and took her hands in his.

"Look, Asenath, it will be okay. I promise you," he said, tightening his grip on her. "You can always try to change it. That's why these visions were granted to you."

"B-but… I would be dealing with a fate that was chosen _years_ ago!" she cried, ready to begin crying again. Seto leaned close to her.

"You can still try to change it. Cheer up. This is supposed to be a joyous day." He slid off the sill and stood, brushing off his tunic. "I was sent to come get you. The ceremony is going to start soon. You might want to wash up." With a small smile, he left the stunned woman in her room.

Asenath wrapped her arms around herself and let herself become lost in her thoughts. She smiled at the thought of Seto touching her, telling her it would be alright.

_Girlhood fantasies,_ she thought, smiling to herself. She hopped off the sill and began washing her face of her mussed-up makeup.

She was still shaken from her realization, but she supposed Seto was right. She still had a few weeks before it happened. But she knew that, whatever happened, she did not want to witness it. She would distance herself as much as she could before she witnessed it again.

**

* * *

**

"Ow. I always hated this thing. It's so heavy," Yami complained. The golden, embossed crown was heavy on his ears, and it applied a lot of pressure to his head. "It looks like I have wings sprouting from the sides of my head." He turned to the side and admired it in the mirror. Sekhem tightened the crimson cape protruding from his shoulders.

"You're nervous, aren't you? You complain a lot when you're nervous," the thirteen-year-old prince said, smiling. Yami said nothing. He just glanced down at the Puzzle.

"How is this going to work? Like… with… Y'know…" Sekhem said slowly.

"Father being dead?"

"Yeah…" Yami sighed. "The passing-down's gonna be weird."

"I think Akunadin's going to do it," Yami said, pushing his bangs out of his face. He didn't notice until moments later that Sekhem had stopped fixing his crown. Yami turned to see Sekhem leaning on Yami's shoulder, deep in thought.

"He would have loved… loved to see you like this. Finally acting like a Pharaoh," Sekhem said wistfully. Yami turned to him. Sekhem had surpassed his own height, although not by much.

"He really missed you, Yami. Atemu," Sekhem said, lifting his head. "For a long time. He had people looking for you for a long time… And last year, when Mom died… by then he was convinced that you had died. We all were. And so… when she was dying… Father asked…"

"What? He asked what of her?" Yami asked. A salty tear landed on Yami's hand.

"…He asked her to tell you he… he was sorry," he said, smiling through his tears. "Sorry, regretful, and that… he never disowned you." Yami sighed.

"I know," Yami said, placing his hands on Sekhem's shoulders. "I know he never disowned me. I wish I could have told him about what happened to me…"

The brothers were silent for a moment.

"You'd better go," Sekhem said, looking at his brother. "The initiation will start in a few minutes…" Yami nodded and smiled at his brother.

"All will be alright, Sekhem," he said reassuringly, retreating to the hallway.

**

* * *

**

It was anticipating. Yami could feel the energy radiating from the crowd. As if they were the final judge in deciding something important.

It was the last step. Everything else had gone increasingly well. He was still soaking from purification, but that didn't matter. All that mattered now was that the crowd accepted it.

He didn't realize how simple it was to shove a weeks worth of activities into one night. It seemed as if the initiation had roared by. It didn't feel right to have it be so quick. But it was still just a whirl of detail in his mind; he hadn't been focused on it at all. When the purification had started, that was when it truly hit him. Maybe because he was doused with cold water, he wasn't too sure. He took a deep breath and glanced beyond the curtain separating him from the crowd.

"You have to prove yourself," Seto said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Before them and before Ra."

"I know," Yami said back.

"Are you afraid?"

Yami didn't reply at once. He took a few steps and pushed the curtain back to step out into the moonlight.

Seto watched him, his own hair still dripping from purification. Yami continued walking, his hand on the wall near the curtain. His eyes covered by his bangs, he stepped out in front of the crowd, a roar being protruded from the crowd.

For a moment, Seto swore that he saw a glint of gold on Yami's back. Almost as if… they were feathers.

He was taken aback. Sure, he had read and been taught about the Angels of the Items, but… was it even _true? _He glanced at Yami again. He was out there, on the balcony. Where he should be. Being accepted as Pharaoh by the people and the gods.

Seto walked out there as well, the cool night air washing over his body. He had just been purified barely an hour earlier; part of him was still wet.

He stared out at the crowds. He could see his cousin sitting on the edge of the balcony. But there was something notably different about him.

His body was shimmering, almost, as if he weren't all there. The Puzzle itself was glowing and swaying, glittering under a light that was invisible to everyone around him. Yami closed his eyes and bowed his head momentarily. The crowds fell silent in anticipation.

_What's he doing now?_ Seto thought. _He's already been…_ His eyes grew wide.

Two bright, beautiful, graceful wings had burst from his back. They were golden in color and fluttered gently, feathers swirling in a swift breeze. Seto stared in shock.

_How can they not see them?_ He though as the crowd barely reacted to the new wings. Yami looked up at Seto.

_'They can't see them because they don't rightfully own an Item now, like you an I,'_ Yami's voice echoed in Seto's head. Seto turned sharply to Yami, wondering how he _did_ that. But, as always, Yami had always _been_ a mystery… and always will be.

As the night grew on, finally, Asenath was able to announce that yes, despite all that had happened, Yami was now, officially, accepted as Pharaoh. Deep into the night and early into the morning, the chants of "Atemu" echoed into the distance.

**

* * *

**

It was so early that the sun hadn't even risen yet. For some reason, something had woken the new Pharaoh up. He groaned and kept his eyes shut, only semi-conscious. He rolled onto his side and clutch his blanket, trying to fall back asleep. He had been deeply asleep, sleeping well for the first time in days. When he fell asleep, feasting and parties were still going on. It was a day of celebration. But, after the ordeal his body went through that day, he was asleep instantly.

Although… now that all the insanity had died down and he was alone, in a comfortable, quiet place, his thoughts turned to his wife. Since he was Pharaoh, he called all the shots. Meaning that if he wanted a girl who was once a servant, who wasn't even Egyptian to be the Queen of this land, he sure as hell could.

Yami opened his eyes and half-expected to see Teana, asleep next to him, her long hair spread around her head like a halo. No one was there. His mind, body, soul and heart yearned for the comfort of his wife. His mother once told him when he was very young that it would be hard for his father to rule alone. Which is why he had priests appointed to him, but that's not what he meant.

Yami rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. If this all hadn't happened… if he hadn't wished that he could fall in love… would he be a different person now? Would he have married Aklia instead of Teana? Would he have left the palace at all?

Would his father still be alive? Yami sighed. His brain was so active that Yami couldn't go back to sleep, even if he tried. He closed his eyes and let his mind ponder these things.

_Teana…_ he thought. _I wish you could have been here during the initiation. I wish you could have seen me become this… ruler._ A warm breeze blew on his body. Yami frowned. His window was on the other side of the room; where was this breeze coming from?

Yami rolled onto his side of the large bed and opened his eyes.

Lying before him was Teana.

"Te-Teana!" he whispered in surprise. He pushed himself up, staring at her.

It was her. She was lying on her stomach, her hair pulled back, dressed… dressed like a Queen would be. She smiled at Yami.

_Is this a dream?_ He thought. He looked around. _No, it can't be. And she can't be an illusion… Did she really arrive here? But… why is she dressed like this?_

"You're mind is so active," she said in a soft voice. "You should calm it or you'll hurt yourself."

"Teana," Yami whispered, leaning close to her. "Why are you here? How did you get here? Where's Zvallah? What's going _on?_"

"Shh," Teana whispered. She put her hand over his lips. "This ordeal has been too great. Calm down." But Yami's mind was alight with so many questions. Questions he knew barely anyone could answer for him.

Teana smiled her warm smile at him. Her golden eyes reflected the dull glow coming into the room from the streets. She tilted her head and moved closer to him, closing her eyes. She laid a gentle kiss on his lips, much to his surprise.

Yami gasped slightly, then sighed and closed his eyes as well. He wrapped his arm around her back, pushing their bodies together. She placed both her hands on his face, the kiss deepening. She pulled away and opened her eyes, breathing hard.

She pushed his bangs off his face and caressed it gently. It was still dark out, although the sun would be rising very soon.

Yami was still extremely tired. He lay still for a moment, a small smile on his face, his eyes closed. Teana wasn't sure if he was even awake, until he opened his eyes. He sat up slowly, smiling at Teana. Teana smiled back at him.

For a moment, all was bliss.

"Teana…" Yami said softly. "I… I sometimes wish that you and I could exist forever, as Asenath does."

"What? Like Asenath?" Teana asked. "Why on earth would you want to do _that?_" Yami shrugged. Asenath had given up her right to die when she saved his own life. Teana placed a hand on his cheek.

"We'll always exist like this, Atemu," she said, smiling. Yami stared at her.

"W-what do you mean, 'like this'?" he asked. Teana put her other hand on his bare chest and leaned against him. She could feel his heart beating rapidly underneath her hand.

"Mmm… you smell good," she said, giggling a little. "Like incense."

"Yes, from the initiation," he said, holding her tightly. "But, Teana… what did you _mean?_ I don't get it." Teana opened her eyes, although Yami couldn't see her face.

"I thought you would know," she whispered. Yami pushed her back for a moment, staring at her quizzically.

"Wait – what? How on earth would _I_ know?" he asked. Teana shrugged. She held onto his hands and brought them to her lips.

"I heard Asenath say something like that," she said. "It has to do with something she predicted a long, long time ago, I think." Yami stared at her. _Could it be…_

"I once heard… I once heard that Asenath had predicted her own death," Yami muttered.

"Her death? That must have been unnerving."

"Yeah… and… she also once predicted… _my_ death." Teana stared at him.

"How… how do you know that?" she asked. Yami shrugged.

"But I don't know if… I don't know which one. Right before that war we had against the invaders… she had a dream that brought her to tears. Her visions hadn't done that in _years,_ so everyone knew it was important. And… whenever she looked at me… she looked so… mournful… I think she did, indeed predict my death.

"But then, I _did_ die. But she brought me back."

"…so…"

"…So, I think she predicted that death, but… Something tells me she's predicted something else as well. She's always been very… I dunno. What's a good word? Oh, nervous. Nervous."

"Nervous about what?" Teana asked, glancing at the window. Yami rolled his eyes.

"The Sennen Items. She—"

It seemed as if something had gone off in his head. In the very back of his mind, something clicked. A connection was made. But…

"Yami? Something wrong?" Teana asked. Yami blinked and looked around.

"I… I just thought… I had this… thought… that… I don't know," he said, giving Teana a smile. "I… don't know what I'm talking about." Teana crawled closer to her husband, so close that she could kiss him.

She put one hand on his chest and kissed his lips. Yami blinked, then again wrapped her into his embrace and let her kiss him. It had only been a couple of weeks since he left her, but it had felt like years…

Suddenly, a dangerous, ravenous hunger ran through Teana's body. She broke away from him and wrapped her arms around his back. She began nuzzling his neck, kissing it and rubbing it with her nose. Yami kissed the top of her head and gripped her body tighter, pulling him to her. Teana let her head rest in the nook between his chest and his head, kissing him again.

Slowly, the couple fell back onto their side, Yami still clutching his beloved Teana. He closed his eyes and hugged her tighter. Her warm body was comforting to him. He needed her. He was glad she was here, finally.

"I love you, Teana." She made a reassuring noise in the back of her throat. Slowly, both he and Teana fell asleep.

The next morning, he woke up to find himself alone, with no signs of Teana anywhere in the palace, or the city.

**

* * *

**

_(:keels over and dies: Sixteen pages! One of the longest chapters I've ever written! And I wasn't even gone end it there, originally. I was gonna continue:Shoots self:_

_Kay, I'm good now. So, how was it? Long? Took me about two weeks to write, heh. Sorry I skipped out on the initiation – I knew it would be like, up near the high 20's in pages if I wrote out the whole thing. Besides, it would have been boring and I don't know what goes on entirely at one, anyway. So I skipped it. :Sigh: Yeah, you take a guess at what Teana was. I did the same thing in 'Devil's Food' with Ryou and Samayo. :D_

_Okay! Next chapter is a doosy. As you can see, while I was in Canada, I wrote the next chapter. I've had it for quite awhile, since I was in Canada in… July. xD; Yeah. I decided to give Asenath a forbidden romance of her own. Yes, I'm gonna do some major-ass time skippage in the next chap. The couple of weeks after Yami becomes Pharaoh is boring. The good part is coming! And the end is coming reeeeeeeeeally soon, too. ;o; Next chapter:"Even in Death…" Seto and Asenath had a "fling" of their own. :3_

**Shibby-One**


	16. Even in Death…

_(Oooh, this chapter is all about Asenath's love life n.n. I can't waiiiiiiit… Warning: more lemon :D And, err… Yeah. Yami just became Pharaoh. Then Seto gets sick. Sucks, doesn't it? xP Oh, and this chapter is for **Seven** who got my first-ever **200th review!** :D Congrats!)_

**Light the Flame**

**_Chapter 16 _**

**_Even in Death…_**

Weeks had passed.

Seto was sick.

Asenath couldn't believe it. Her brother was terrified of himself, the country was just becoming smei-normal again, but her best friend was also sick. And it was Asenath's duty to look after him for the day.

"Can you do it? Do you have anything else _to_ do?" Yami asked that morning. Asenath shrugged.

"No, it's no trouble at all…" She had treated this same sickness before; it didn't last very long… If the person in question didn't move or do anything active for the rest of the day. "Go on and do, uhh… Pharaoh-things."

Asenath gave Seto an ointment to rub onto his chest, and forced some medicine down his throat early that morning. It was a hit, sticky day; it was very uncomfortable and gross. Asenath had to adjust her black dress many times around her breasts, the unbreathable fabric sticking to her body. She was so hot… and being out in the sun all day… She was grateful when night fell. She had been working very hard to see that no one caught Seto's sickness, and that he didn't get worse. Luckily, all her worries and workings were able to make him recover quickly.

Yami glanced at her that evening, as she headed down to the main hall. She wasn't aware of him, but he watched her. He knew of something they didn't; just as Asenath had sensed that Yami loved Teana, Yami sensed the person Asenath held in her heart as well. It was something the two shared, being so close in age and being raised together. He wasn't sure if putting Asenath to the task of caring for Seto was very wise…

He rested his hand on a pillar. He had enough worries; He was the new Pharaoh (as if that wasn't enough), getting Teana and Zvallah to Kemet… Did he honestly have mind or soul left to worry about Asenath's virginity pact with Osiris?

Night had fallen.

**

* * *

**

"Asenath!" Yami called, running after her down the hall. Asenath turned around, surprised to see him.

"Yes?" she asked. Yami panted, thinking for a moment.

_Asenath wouldn't risk a pact so sacred, especially because it was made in exchange for my life._

"Could you look after Seto for me? Please?" he asked, grinning. "Someone needs to be sure he's fine and isn't still sick." Asenath nodded, bowed, and took off into the other direction. She headed down the halls to Seto's vast room, on the east wing. She pushed back the curtain.

"…Asenath," Seto said, sitting up, smiling. He was obviously stronger then he was this morning, that's for sure…

"I… have more medicine," she said, walking up to him. Seto scoffed and Asenath giggled. Her cheeks were pink, but he didn't notice.

…Truth was, Asenath was deeply in love with him… and he had no friggin' idea.

"Here – open up," Asenath said, giggling more. Seto tried to shy away, but Asenath shoved the spoon into his mouth. Seto coughed, sputtering, grabbing his throat.

"Gods, Asenath – you trying to kill me!" he asked, breathing hard. Asenath set the jar and spoon down on a table and folded her arms.

"Oh, it wasn't that bad, look what it's done for you," Asenath said. Seto was rubbing his cheek and then lowered his hand. Asenath glanced at him as he stretched his arms.

…In the faded light of the torches, the night… his body glistened from the oils that had been rubbed onto him. Asenath gulped. He was bare-chested; that morning, it had hurt him just to be wearing a shirt. He flexed his shoulders and pushed back his blanket.

"Gods, it's hot…" Asenath turned away. She knew what she wanted; she wanted to run back… She headed for the doorway. Seto had stopped fumbling. He had sensed something in Asenath that wasn't there before… Asenath clenched her fists and closed her eyes. She was almost at the door…

She glanced back. Seto had quickly looked away, adjusting the golden bands on his wrists. Asenath had her hand on the doorway… she could get away without defying her pact…

Oh, fuck.

There was a patch on Seto's chest, near where his heart was, that wasn't shiny. That means that there wasn't any ointment there…

"Seto," she said firmly, "Didn't I tell you to cover yourself in that oil?" Seto blinked.

"Oh… I thought—" Seto started, but Asenath shushed him.

"C'mere, fool," she said, sitting on the edge of his bed. Seto gave a half-grin and lay back so Asenath could reach up and smear oil onto his chest.

"You're a friggin' moron, you…" she said, her voice getting softer with each word. She closed her eyes and leaned forwards, leaning against his chest. The part of his body where the oil had been poured that morning was soft and warm…

She knew what could happen if she stayed here. She knew that, both of them being priests… Seto's arms locked around her back, holding her steady. A warm breeze blew into the semi-darkened room. Asenath closed her eyes. She wanted to stay still, forever…

Seto placed a hand under her chin and gently lifted her face. She gazed up at him, he being a good five or six inches taller then her.

They weren't little children anymore; they were both adults, both with the same fate of serving the Pharaoh, who happened to be related to them both.

Seto leaned in and kissed her.

**

* * *

**

It wasn't anything that Asenath had ever experienced up to that moment. She became enveloped in the kiss, his taste and his love making her feel so many different emotions at once. He shifted his arms so she was trapped in his lock, not that she wanted to leave it.

She had never been kissed like this before, she being a natural born priestess. She wasn't sure how she got herself trapped into this situation, but she didn't care. She just felt that… If she leaned on him… he would accept that. Because the air in the room became easy. And she knew that it was open arms that awaited her.

She pulled away gently, breathing slowly. She opened her eyes and kissed him again, missing his lips and hitting the edges of them. Seto laughed and pulled her down beside him on the bed. A shudder went through Asenath's body. She kissed Seto's neck, nuzzling him gently. She wanted to be a part of him; she wanted to never leave him…

Seto put a hand on her cheek. Asenath watched him with wide eyes. Could it be that he felt the same way about her?

He kissed her forehead, running his hand down the length of her face. He moved back to her lips, resting a hand over her heart. This time, the kiss reached more passionate proportions. Asenath turned her head, so her full mouth was on Seto's. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him so gently and seductively…

Seto slid his hand down the length of her body, down to her waist… Asenath leaned over him, so he rolled onto his back, and she was on top of his chest… They broke apart, so Asenath could breathe. She smiled and licked her lips, re-positioning her arms on his chest.

"…I…" she whispered, hovering right above his face. Seto sat up, his back against the cool stone of the wall. Asenath leaned forward and kissed him again. So many thoughts, worries, excitements… they were all running through her head. She was worried where this would get to; she was excited for it; she was wondering… what would happen…?

"…Asenath," Seto whispered in her ear, as if trying to tell her something. Asenath closed her eyes and laid her head against his chest again.

"…I know," she whispered back. "…we can't." She breathed deeply, but it didn't matter. She wanted him… her body seemed to have a ferocious, primitive hunger for him. Seto wrapped his arms around her gently.

"It's alright… Asenath…" Asenath held him tighter. She wanted… to never leave him…

"Asenath… You're so cold," Seto said softly, placing a hand on her bare upper back. Asenath closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She looked up at him, her limbs shivering.

…They were so close…

"Tell me," she said in a soft voice, "what do you think of me?" Seto pushed her blonde bangs from her sweaty face to look straight at her.

"I think… that I love you," he whispered to her, placing a hand on her neck. She closed her eyes and allowed him to have her. She wanted him to have her. She would willingly give herself to him, because she loved him. Asenath smiled and breathed deeply. She breathed in his scent, and it comforted her.

"That's not a valid… answer…" she whispered as Seto held onto her tighter. She was sitting in his lap, his back against the wall. She was wearing a black, form-fitting dress with no straps and a slit up one side. It was what she wore on days like this, to keep from frying and to keep from defying her duty as priestess. Seto, however…

She wasn't sure if he was wearing _anything._ The blanket was pulled to his waist, and it was thick. She was sitting in his lap, on top of the blanket.

She nuzzled her head into the nook under his chin and against his neck. Her body and mind wanted different things; her heart wanted something different entirely…

Seto held onto the back of her neck. She lifted her head from her little coop, and kissed him. She didn't care anymore. In a battle between her body and her mind, her body always wins.

This wasn't any different. She hovered before him, barely a breath away from completely disregarding a sacred pact and allowing pleasures for herself. Was it something she was willing to give up…?

She kissed him again, her arms around his neck, leaning right against him. Seto wrapped his arms around her lower back and completely shifted his weight around – so now, Asenath was lying on her back with him on _top_ of her. Asenath pulled away and kept her eyes closed, fingering his hair, which was in her face.

"…I love you… so much…" she whispered, before completely giving herself to him with all her heart. Seto moved from her lips to her neck, Asenath giggling in a high-pitched voice – very unlike herself. She allowed him to run his hands down the length of her body, stopping at her hips. She turned somewhat onto her side and held his face gently in her hands, kissing his lips. She then broke away and brought her forehead to his. They just lingered there for a moment, breathing deeply.

"Asenath," Seto whispered to her, wrapping his arms around her back. "Are you sure about this?" Asenath opened her eyes. She smiled.

"I'm sure, Seto," was her answer. She kissed him then before he could say anymore. They broke away, and Asenath nuzzled the nook under his chin. While she did this, Seto was unfastening her dress in the back. The clips were easy to undo and the dress loosened its grip on her body.

Asenath kissed his neck, not caring what would happen in the morning. She knew that, if anyone found out, they would both be in horrible trouble. But it didn't matter. Not right now.

Asenath placed her hands on his chest, running them up over his shoulders. She kissed his chest and his shoulders, leading back to his lips. She pulled away for a moment. She took a breath, and kicked off her dress, leaning against his side. She opened her eyes and stared right at him, smiling. She leaned right in front of his face, her arms around his neck.

"I… I want to make love to you."

And then she kissed him.

**

* * *

**

"Mmhmmm… you never answered my question right," Asenath whispered as she woke up. For some reason, she had dreamt about that question. What did he really think of her?

Seto was lying on his stomach, his head in his hand, watching her sleep. She rolled onto her side and smiled at him. The sun hadn't risen yet, but it was getting close. The horizon was red.

"I didn't?" he said, stretching his arms. Asenath watched him breathing deeply, her long, dark hair spread out around her head. "Truthfully… I've always looked up to you. Ever since we were children… I've always thought you were very wise." Asenath smiled.

"Really?" she whispered, sitting up. She leaned over and kissed his lips, falling into it. She let out a little playful yelp as she fell into his arms, leaning against his bare body. She giggled and allowed him to kiss the back of her neck.

…Neither of them had any idea how much trouble they were in… Asenath stretched onto her stomach and closed her eyes. She was exhausted…

"You should go," Seto whispered to her. Asenath opened her eyes and nodded. She managed to pull her tired body from Seto's arms, and managed to put her dress on.

As she was fastening it, Seto was doing the same, flopping onto his bed on his back. He was asleep in almost an instant.

Asenath watched him, then went over and kissed him gently. She left shortly after.

Little did they know… how much trouble they had just gotten themselves into.

**

* * *

**

"Do you have _any_ idea how _stupid _that was!" Yami said, his hands in fists on the stone table. He was shaking, he was so angry. How could he have misjudged Asenath? Of all people… He was supposed to be able to trust her and her judgement.

Asenath couldn't look at him. Neither could she look at Seto. All she could look at were her hands, folded together before her, her black gloves creasing as she gripped tighter and tighter.

"Asenath!" Yami said, making Asenath jump, "You, of all people… I… You…" He was so disgusted he couldn't speak. He only looked down at the table, absolutely furious. How could they… Of all ways to defy the gods, they do one of the worst… The worst…

He sighed. He hated this; but he was Pharaoh. And he _had_ to enforce the rules. Especially if it meant the gods becoming angry with them.

"Just… just go," Yami sighed, turning around and leaving the room. The hall was lit with moonlight as the sky shined down into it. He had just _yelled_ at his older sister and his older cousin. He never dreamed he would have that kind of control over them, especially people he looked up to. But…

"They did something so… So… stupid!" he gasped, leaning forwards. "Damn! Does she know what could be done to me, allowing them to be together… What was I thinking?" He leaned against the wall and slid down it. He was still in shock upon learning this news… How could they…?

Yami smashed his fist into the wall beside him, tears streaming down his face. Pharaoh… was much more of a job then he realized. Couldn't they see he was under enough stress? Now they had to make it up to the gods…

"Damn you, Asenath! Damn you both to hell!" He stood with his back to the wall, staring out at the sky. Was this a sign from the gods? Were they punishing him because of his disobedience?

"At least Asenath can't become pregnant," he said to himself. He closed his eyes and sighed. That would be horrible. For a natural-born priestess to give birth would be the worst of sins. That child would be the Devil's child.

Yami's eyes shot open.

_But the Gods can do whatever they want,_ he thought, a horrible truth settling over him. _If they could make Teana able to have children, could it be the same for Asenath?_

_No, it's physically impossible, _his mind countered. _She was born without the right organs to give birth, unlike Teana. There's no way._

Still… He sighed. Why did Asenath have to complicate things? Not only that, but a new Pharaoh had to make nearly daily offerings to please the gods.

Wasn't he under enough stress? He'd only been Pharaoh barely a week and a half—

"Damnit, Asenath," he muttered.

**

* * *

**

Asenath had her own things to worry over. She was sitting in her windowsill, glancing down at the courtyard below. She then glanced at the sun overhead.

_Just a few more days…Then I'll have to leave._ She brought her knees to her chest and sighed. She hopped down from her windowsill, and maneuvered her way to the ground in the courtyard. She slid against the wall down to the stone floor, pulling her knees to her chest once more.

Honestly, even though it pained her to admit it, she didn't regret her actions. She loved him. She has _always_ loved him. That's why she had done something so foolish as to…

She put one hand down on the cool stone. Just a few weeks had passed since the initiation. And already her heart was pounding. The bloody sun was foretelling what she had seen already.

"I have to tell Yami," she whispered. A breeze picked up and blew at her loose hair billowing and shining as if her hair were full of stars.

"Tell Yami what?" a voice said behind her. Asenath gasped and turned, seeing Seto standing at the gate of the courtyard. She was sitting just inside of it. Seto smiled at her and sat down next to her.

"Oh – Seto," she said, staring at him. Seto propped his arm on his knee and stared over the surrounding wall to the dying sun.

"Well? What do you want to tell Yami?" he asked her gently. Asenath looked away from him, hugging her knees.

"…I can't," she murmured. Seto blinked at her.

"Can't what? Tell him? Then why were you debating over it with yourself?" he asked incredulously. Asenath sighed.

"You… wouldn't understand," she said. But her voice had softened; there was something concerning about the way she spoke. She spoke with a tone of mourning.

"Asenath," Seto said, becoming alarmed, "what is it? Is it… is it that…?" he trailed off, too afraid to even speak what it could be.

"… Yes," Asenath whispered. She stared up into Seto's eyes.

"And will…?"

"…Yes," Asenath said again, answering before he even asked the question.

"He will? But – but how!" Seto cried. "You said she doesn't make it here before—"

"They're soul mates," Asenath whispered, since Seto's scared face was lingering right in front of her. "Soul mates… soul mates are never separated." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "He'll see her once more… before it happens, Seto."

"When is it going to happen?" Seto asked. Asenath shook her head.

"He's already been inside the room. That means its close."

"Close? Now? But why?" he asked her. "Asenath – why can't you tell me what happens!" he cried, grabbing her shoulders. Asenath stared at him fiercely.

"Because," she whispered. "If I were to tell you any more than you know, it would break my pact with the gods, and I wouldn't be able to change it." Seto was breathing hard, holding onto her. He shook his head.

"No… when? When is it _exactly?_" Asenath shook her head.

"That I cannot say, Seto." She closed her eyes. Tears began slipping out of them. Her body shook. Her head bowed.

"I… I don't want to see it again!" she cried, grasping onto him unexpectedly. Seto jumped in surprise. She clung onto his shoulders, holding him. She buried her face in the cloth that made up his long tunic.

Seto, unsure of what to do, placed his hands on her shoulders once more.

"What? See what again?" he asked her softly. Asenath sniffed.

"I… I don't want to see that again. _That._ I don't…. want to see him die ever again." She held tighter onto Seto, shaking. "…never."

"I understand that, Asenath," Seto said softly. "I understand." Asenath sniffed, her tears running down her face full-force. She pulled back from him, still gripping his tunic. She looked up at him, her eyes glinting.

Seto couldn't help but notice how amazing Asenath truly was. Here she was, living with the knowledge of what's yet to come.

_She knows,_ Seto thought. _Her one fear is death, and yet the gods force the deaths of others upon her. She can see when and how someone will die._

_She's already seen… She's already seen her own family's fate. Isn't that enough?_

Asenath closed her eyes. She was tired of this. She didn't want to know what was going to happen _anymore._

Seto gripped her tighter. Then, without warning, leaned in and kissed her. It wasn't a little kiss, either; he turned his head to cover her full mouth, wrapping his arms around her small frame. Asenath was surprised, but then she eased into it and placed her hands on his chest.

_I should enjoy it… while he's still alive…_ she thought to herself, tears running down her face.

**

* * *

**

Yami let out a wistful sigh. The more time he spent away from Teana, the more his heart stung for her. The more he _needed_ her. And Zvallah.

It felt as if he hadn't been with her for years; as if she had just become a memory.

_No,_ he thought, straightening his body. _No. I refuse to let that happen. Teana is my life; I have to get her here._ He closed his eyes and laid his hands in his lap.

What was he supposed to do? He was sitting in his own windowsill, staring out at the night. The more the days passed, the more he grew wary. The more he grew afraid. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he was afraid. Terrified. But of what, he didn't know. It was the same feeling as his fear of the Sennen Items; but it was growing stronger every day.

And he didn't know why.

He wanted to know. Although, he kind of knew what was happening. He laid against the window frame and let his leg hand from the window. His eyes closed, he sighed deeply. He was tired, and he felt so alone…

_"Yami!__ Hey, are you with us?" the voice said in his ear. Yami opened his eyes._

_He was leaning against something warm and soft. And as he woke up, he realized he was in a court of some sort. A large bonfire had been lit in the center, and he noticed that they were outside, in a vast courtyard. It was dark out; nighttime._

_They were in Kemet, he was sure. But, his clothing didn't reflect that of a Pharaoh. He was dressed much more casually, the Puzzle weighing down heavily around his neck._

_Someone slid their arm into his, interlocking their fingers in his hand. He looked at the figure beside him, wondering who it could be._

_He was staring into the face of Teana. He gasped. He was taken aback at how… how different she looked here._

_Her hair was partially pulled back on one side, pulled into an elegant, white clip in the shape of an angel wing. Her clothes were more regal, almost Princess-like, but a casual Princess-like. She leaned against Yami, holding his hand tightly and smiling._

_"I'm glad you came back, Pharaoh," she whispered in almost a mocking tone. "You fell asleep. If Kenneth saw, he would be furious."_

_Yami stared at her. What? What was going on? Had Teana been brought to Kemet already?_

_It was then he realized that yes, Kenneth, Teana's eldest brother, was standing before the fire, telling a story. He was gesturing with his hands, making it seem like an amazing tale. People were gasping, children were clapping, and many of the elders were just enjoying themselves._

_It seemed as if Yami had created a court of people – People from Kemet, and from Teana's land, all sitting together, listening to Kenneth's impeccable skills as a storyteller._

_Yami gasped. How could… What could this be? He didn't feel any different. Time hadn't elapsed at all. What was going on? How could all these people suddenly appear?_

_"Teana…" Yami whispered, turning to her. Teana glanced at him._

_"Something wrong?" she asked. Yami was afraid. What would happen if he questioned it? Would this all disappear? He shook his head. He wanted to know where it came from. But, if he could… he didn't want to lose it at the same time._

_"Yami?__ Yami, what is it?" she asked, sitting up straight. Yami opened his mouth, when something flew onto his back._

_"What the—" Yami cried. Someone small had leaped onto his shoulders, locking their grip around his neck. Teana laughed as Yami tried to see his pursuer._

_A small face peered into his. A tiny, tanned face, with brown hair spilling over it's shoulder, and large, glowing, amethyst eyes, alight with happiness._

_"Zv-Zvallah?"__ Yami stuttered. The little boy stuck his tongue out at him._

_"Aww, I wanted to fool you again!" he proclaimed, releasing Yami from his grip. A boy of no older then six sat down next to him, dressed as a Prince. He grinned at his father and looked over at Kenneth._

_Yami was still in shock. He was seeing Zvallah, years from now. It was strange; almost surreal. The feeling that washed over him._

_"Zvallah…" Yami said in a wistful tone. Zvallah stared at him._

_"Daddy?__ Something wrong?" he asked, standing up. Yami blinked and shook his head automatically. Zvallah shrugged and ran off to where someone was calling him. Both Teana and Yami watched him run._

_Teana chuckled. _

_"My mother has always loved him so much," she said, giggling. Yami glanced over to where Zvallah ran to._

_Sure enough, Teana's elderly mother, Annuay, was sitting a few seats down from them, noticeably older and more withered then the last time he saw her._

_"Speaking of my mother, where did Nephthys run to?" Teana wondered. Yami stared at her._

_"Nephthys?"__ He asked in confusion. Teana stared at him._

_"What do you mean, 'Nephthys'? What's wrong with you tonight, Yami? Nephthys is our _daughter,_ remember?" Yami blinked._

_"Oh – oh yeah…" he stammered. He was so confused._

_What was he seeing?_

_Suddenly, the scene around him became silent. It had been so lively and noisy before, bustling with life. But in a moment, it died. All sound became muted. Yami watched as a young girl who looked Zvallah's age climbed into Teana's lap. She had the same bright eyes that Zvallah did, only more curved._

_Nephthys.__ His… daughter._

_"Do you enjoy what you see?" a voice behind him said. Asenath crouched beside him, still the same twenty years as she would always be._

_"I suppose… considering I know what's going on," Yami said slowly. Asenath chuckled._

_"One of many scenes from your rule, my Pharaoh," she said, turning to him. "The city s thriving like never before." Yami stared around him as the people were all enjoying themselves._

_Suddenly, the scene itself died away. All traces of life, and sound, and color and light… They had all disappeared. All that was left was he, Asenath, and darkness._

_Asenath sighed heavily._

_"What… what happened?" he asked, staring up at Asenath. Asenath stared back down at him._

_"There is something I want to tell you," she said, tears forming in her eyes. "But I can't. The only thing I can tell you is… see this? This darkness? Loneliness? Quiet?"_

_Yami blinked, and then nodded._

_"This… this is your future, my Pharaoh. And that's all I can say."_

**

* * *

**

Yami awoke with a gasp. He was still in his windowsill. As he awoke, he coughed and choked for breath, still shaken from his dream.

"What… what did that mean?" he whispered. He stared at the night sky, his mind alight with questions. "Asenath… what do you mean? What are you so afraid of?"

"Am I…. am I going to _die?"_ he whispered. He rubbed his eyes from the abrupt awakening. What could be _happening?_ What future did she mean? The near future? Far future? Everyone dies, so is that what she was telling him?

"She said… she was running out of _time,_" Yami whispered. He leaned against the sill. "Time until _what?_ What is she waiting for? Or…" he glanced at the courtyard beneath his window. "What is she _afraid_ of?"

A soft breeze was all that answered back.

**

* * *

**

_Neeee__ Getting close to the end! Sorry, another long chapter. Heh. _

_Someone in a review said "Aren't Asenath and Seto cousins? How can they have a "fling"?_

_Easy.__ In ancient Egypt's time, if you lived in a royal family, inbreeding was really common. Especially in the 18th dynasty – I watched a special on it once. If Asenath hadn't been a natural-born priestess, she would have probably been wed to Yami years ago. And it's actually not that "strange" or "unnatural" to have feelings for your cousin. They don't have the same parents as you, or the same upbringing, normally – the only ties you have is through one parent. So… that's how Asenath and Seto could have a fling._

_Ahh__, sorry for the randomness.__ xD;; _

_Next chapter – It's getting close to the "event" that Asenath predicted so many years ago. And the closer it comes, the more Asenath prepares to leave the city. But, since her heart goes out to Yami and his love for Teana, she uses her power to bring them together one more time…Chapter 17: Longing._

Tata!

**Shibby-One**


	17. Longing

_(Myuuu, back again.__ Heee, only so many chaps left until the end. T.T Well! This is the chapter where Yami sees Teana again for the very last time. And then… chapter 19 will be the last one. Oh, and some people were confused about the existence of Nephthys. Nephthys never actually lives. She looks Zvallah's age, but she's actually about 14-16 months younger than him. Teana is pregnant with her _right now._ :3 But she doesn't know it, since it's only a couple of weeks into the pregnancy. Oh, and I was sick these past two days with le stomach flu that I caught from my brother. I doubt I would have finished this chapter without all that time off from school. xD; Anyway! Onto the chapter!)_

**Light the Flame**

**Chapter 17**

**_Longing_**

"I'm leaving tomorrow, Yami," Asenath said, the sun barely peeking over the horizon. Yami stopped and stared at her.

"What? Leaving? Why?" he stammered. He crossed his arms before his chest angrily. "Where?"

Asenath chuckled.

"I'm going to Teana's homeland," she said, smiling sweetly. "Remember? You asked me to get her." Yami stared at her.

_I don't remember that,_ he thought. He looked up at Asenath. "Seriously?" Asenath nodded.

"It's about time she joined you here," she said, smiling. "Besides," she said, winking, "You know what our mother used to always say. How our father could have never run the country so well without her interference now and again." Yami laughed with his sister, smiling to himself. He did, indeed, miss Teana dearly…

"It will take… it will take a few days, maybe even weeks to get back, you know," Asenath said hesitantly. Yami sighed and looked around the vast, open room they were in. He didn't see the hurt in her eyes.

"Well… be that as it may, I suppose," he said, sighing. "As long as she returns here safely…" Asenath swallowed hard.

"You know, Yami… If… If you really wanted to… I could bring her here temporarily," Asenath said. Yami's head snapped back to facing Asenath in an instant.

"What? What do you mean by that?" he asked suspiciously. Asenath fiddled with the black-and-silver ankh around her neck absently.

"If my hunches are correct, than I believe that you and your dear wife are indeed, as they say, 'soul mates'. And in that case… I could use my power to transfer her here, body and soul, in an instant. But only for awhile," she said in a warning tone, as if talking to a child. Yami pouted.

"I guess…" he said slowly. He was afraid for Teana's safety. Would it be safe for her? But what if she were sick or something? Would that hurt her?

"It's perfectly safe," Asenath assured him. "I just don't want to use up my energy keeping her here."

"Why not?" Yami asked as the two retreated into the far reaches of the palace. There was a room that had been created by Asenath herself, as a shrine to Osiris that only she was allowed to enter. She is the direct link to him, which is why she was thought of to be sacred.

This was also the place where she would perform her 'miracles'.

"Because," she said, a little bit of laugh to her voice, "I'm only allowed one 'miracle' per person, Brother." Yami smiled and realized what she meant. She had already done enough for him in his life.

"You wait over there," Asenath commanded, pointing down a long hallway. The hallway emptied out into the courtyard beneath his window. A place he had come to know and love throughout his life.

"Alright…" he muttered. Asenath stopped.

"Wait. I need something of yours for this to work," Asenath said. Yami blinked at her.

"Like…?" he asked, letting the question hang. Asenath thought about it for awhile.

"Like… like that!" she said, pointing to Yami's neckline. Yami pulled from beneath his tunic, his own ankh, identical to Asenath's, only made of gold.

"This? But…" Yami said slowly. He never took this ankh off. It was made for him when he was born; it was a symbol of his family, of his royalty… It was also the thing that Annuay blessed during his marriage ceremony. So now, it held part of his and Teana's soul inside.

Yami clapped his hands around it. Asenath stared hard at him.

"I need something that proves your love for her," she said softly. "And I need something that represents her." Yami reluctantly pulled the ankh off and handed it to Asenath. He glanced around, trying to think of something to symbolize Teana.

_A symbol…_ _oh!_ He thought, snapping his fingers. Outside in the courtyard, the mitsukai tree was in full bloom. Running as fast as he could, he jumped through the open windows, and hurried over to the large tree. He pulled a white blossom from it and brought it back to Asenath.

"Here," he said, smiling. "Now… bring Teana to me." Asenath nodded, and retreated inside the shrine.

Now he had to wait.

**

* * *

**

Yami was never good with waiting. He always became a nervous wreck while waiting for things. The last time he had felt _this_ nervous with Teana was when Zvallah was born, nearly a year ago.

Yami sat on the old, cracked, stone bench, engulfed in the beautiful garden around him. He was clutching the stone so hard, his knuckles turned white. His arms were shaking, his breathing ragged. He felt as if all his energy had been drained.

He became lost in his own thoughts. Wonders and anticipations. It had only been a few weeks… what could have changed?

Soft footsteps sounded throughout the courtyard. Yami looked up, a gasp escaping from his lips.

There, across the courtyard, with his golden ankh in her hands and the white flower in her hair.

Teana.

Yami gasped and stared at her. He stood up, tightening his hands into fists.

Teana's hair was pulled back, her eyes shining with tears. Her dress was ragged and worn from working conditions. Her skin was lighter than usual; was she sick? But it didn't matter. Her golden eyes twinkled as she smiled at him, her arms shaking as she brought her hands to her mouth.

For a moment, they both just stood there, staring at each other. Then—

Teana broke into a run. Yami took a few steps forward, pulled the Puzzle off from around his neck, and embraced her into his arms. She flung herself onto him, her tears sliding down her face. She sniffed and just began to cry, holding onto him. Yami kissed the top of her head and held her warm body in his arms. She buried her face into his tunic, shivering and crying. Yami began to cry himself, so relieved that she was there.

The sun bathed them in light. They cast long shadows, stretching over the length of the courtyard. They just stood there, wrapped into each other, silently. Teana could feel Yami's tears moisten the top of her head. It was just so amazing. The fact that they were there, together, in each other's arms.

Teana's tears had stopped. Her heart had stopped pounding so heavily. She slowly pushed herself away from Yami, although her fingers still gripped the cloth, as though it were her last lifeline. She looked up at him, her lower lip quivering.

"I've missed you, so much," she whispered. A breeze picked up and blew around them, warming them with summer air. Yami pushed Teana's hair out of her face, placing a hand on her tear-stained cheek.

"Oh, my Teana…" Yami whispered. He couldn't say anything more. He was too numb from her presence.

Asenath leaned against the windowsill and stared out at the couple. She couldn't hear them, but she had a feeling that it wouldn't have mattered. They weren't speaking normal words.

Yami wrapped his arms around her once more, tugging her towards him. And they just stayed like this for awhile. Asenath smiled and watched them. She watched them fall to their knees. She saw Teana lift her head up to face his. And she saw her place her hands on either sides of his face, and kiss him.

**

* * *

**

"Thank Ra Asenath is so amazing," Teana whispered, curled up next to Yami. They were sitting on the ground of the courtyard, leaning against the wall. They were hidden by the lush, growing plants around them. Teana was curled beside him, Yami with his arm around her.

"I know," Yami agreed. "I don't understand how she does everything, but I'm grateful for it…" he trailed off. Teana sighed contentedly.

"Y'know, when I come here for real," Teana started, smiling to herself, "We'll probably have to get married again." Yami closed his eyes and smiled.

"I know. But I look forward to it. Egyptian weddings are always grand and amazing, Teana." Yami put his hand on her cheek. Teana smiled.

"I was wondering just the other day what it would be like if this had never happened," she said softly. She interlocked her fingers with his. Yami opened his eyes. A thought had just crossed his mind.

_Aklia._

Yam subconsciously tightened the grip he held on her hand. Teana looked up at her husband.

"What is it, Yami?" she asked, staring at him. Yami shook his head.

"It's… I just remembered… About…" he trailed off. Aklia. He had forgotten all about her. What had happened to her, he wondered. Was she alright? Was she still alive? Did she get married to someone else?

"About…?" Teana asked. Yami sighed.

"…Before I met you… I was engaged," he said slowly. "I'd been engaged since I was very young. To a noble's daughter from another city… Named Aklia." Teana's breath caught in her throat.

"Aklia? That was her name?" Teana said gently. She leaned against him again. "No one ever knew what her name was."

"Aklia… she was a good friend of mine," he said. "But… I just didn't return the feelings she had for me. So… What I did was…" Yami's eyes widened.

_Wait a minute—_He glanced over to where he had laid the Puzzle. He grabbed it in his hands, forcing Teana to sit up as he moved.

"What happened?" she asked, alarmed. Yami stared at the Puzzle in shock.

"It was… It was the Puzzle," he muttered.

"_What_ was?" Teana asked, getting exasperated. Yami turned to her.

"Right before I met you, I said a prayer to the gods. I said, 'bring me someone I can love. And love for me.' But… I think the Puzzle might have answered me back." Teana stared at him. How could he have made that connection?

"What?" Teana asked. In her mind, it didn't make any sense. Yami stared at the Puzzle.

"Hear me out. Asenath once told me that the Puzzle would decide my fate. But my fate wouldn't have been decided until I was married. My fate was decided when I fell in love with you, Teana." He stared at the Puzzle. "This… this thing… must have brought me to you."

"What'd it do, chose a random person off the street!" Teana cried. She got onto her knees and held onto his arm. "Are you sure this is what happened? Please, Yami. Atemu. Do you honestly think that _thing_ did anything?"

"…I don't know," he answered finally. For some reason, something was rocketing in the back of his head. Something he should know. Something he should recognize.

But he didn't know what it was. They sat for a moment, Teana holding onto Yami's arm.

"…you prayed that you could have someone to love?" she whispered. Yami nodded.

"Yeah, I said I wanted to love someone like Jono did." Teana giggled.

"Like Jono did?"

"Yeah, because he loved Maia so much… I was jealous…." He looked down at the Puzzle again. Something was rocketing off in the back of his mind. What was it!

Then—it hit him.

_Jono has a forbidden romance. He wished for something 'like Jono'. What if… what if the gods and the Puzzle took him seriously!_

"Teana… I think I figured it out," he said, blinking. He turned to her, excited. "I think I understand now!"

"Why? What happened now?" she asked. Yami looked at the Puzzle, then at her.

"I prayed for a romance 'like Jono's'. What I meant was, I wanted to love and care for someone like Jono did. But I think… I think the gods took me seriously. So they brought me to someone, someone I would most likely never be allowed to marry in our religion. Someone who would make this romance completely forbidden."

"So they brought me to you." Teana stared at him with wide, golden eyes. It was true; their romance was uncommon. A prince falling in love with a servant-girl was one thing, but an Egyptian prince falling in love with a servant girl who wasn't even Egyptian – she was Sudani.

It was completely unheard of.

"Oh… Oh my God…" Teana whispered. "You're right." The couple stared at each other.

Then, Teana began to laugh. She just started giggling, then fell into a full-out, hearty laugh, that curled out of her throat. She leaned against Yami and closed her eyes, nuzzling her face into his chest. He just put his arms around her.

"It doesn't matter," she whispered. "I love you…" Yami buried his face into her hair. She smelled sweet, like fruit.

"Teana…" Yami said slowly, whispering to her. He sighed deeply. He _had_ to tell her something… important. He ran his hands through her hair, and they landed on her shoulders and back. She moaned as a reply. "I… have to tell you something." Teana opened her eyes and looked up at him. He was looking at the ground beside him, apparently lost in thought.

"What is it?" she asked. "…what's wrong?"

"It… wasn't bad, or anything," he said slowly. "And nothing happened. But… I just feel like… you should know." Teana stared at him, her jaw dropping a little bit.

"Tell me what, Yami? Tell me what? Tell me!" she said, hanging onto his shoulders. Yami stared down at her longing face. Her beautiful eyes. They were full of fear.

_She thinks it's bad…_ he thought. He pulled her face towards his and placed his lips upon hers. She closed her eyes and tightened her grip on his tunic. She was kneeling in his lap, her hands on his chest. He pulled away from her and whispered into her ear…

**

* * *

**

_Yami just wanted comfort. He was sitting with his knees to his chest, staring at the dark sky above him. He was still jittery from the battles; his head ached a bit in the back. He was alone outside. He was partially hidden by the tall, beautiful plants his mother had spent so much time planting and caring for._

_His thoughts rounded to Teana. He sighed. She would most likely never speak to him ever again. Especially, not with what he did. She completely hated the fact that he lied to her about who he really was._

_Yami put his head in his hands and closed his eyes._

_"Teana…" he whispered. The darkness was consuming…_

_"Atemu?" a voice called. Yami looked up. _

_Aklia was approaching him. She was wearing a long, white skirt that reached her feet, and a white cloth tied around her breast. Her nighttime clothes. Yami sighed inwardly._

_Aklia sat beside him on the stone._

_"I can't sleep," she said in a soft voice. Yami didn't respond. She was the last person he wanted to see right now. But at the same time… Yami sighed. This was his future wife; they were going to be married in only two weeks._

_Aklia pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She stared up at the stars, her black hair billowing over her shoulders. She turned to Yami and closed her eyes._

_For some reason…__ Yami didn't want to tell her off. She wasn't speaking; she wasn't prodding at him. She wasn't being as annoying as he usually thought her to be._

_"Aklia…" Yami said slowly, pushing her hair away from her face. He placed one hand on the side of her face, on her soft cheek. She closed her amber eyes and sighed deeply. Suddenly, Yami found her against his chest, holding onto him like he was her last lifeline. She nuzzled his neck and placed soft kisses on his chin. _

_For some reason… when they were like this, sitting out in the darkness, without all the regality… It seemed much more real. Yami almost felt as if he could become used to having Aklia as a wife. It would be strange at first; but he supposed he would learn to grow on her._

_As he kissed her, it didn't even occur to him that his heart pined for Teana. He just thought "I can't have Teana… but I can have her."_

_His thoughts were jumbled, but his actions were clear. For some reason, his mind was racing. He pulled away from it, but didn't try to stop it from happening again. He just kissed Aklia again, with more passion this time. She turned her head and gripped his tunic, sliding her hands onto his shoulders. _

_Slowly, Yami pushed her down against the stone, so he was leaning on top of her. She just kissed him again, her fingers curled onto the back of his neck. He placed his hand on her side, where her skin was showing. Yami pulled away from her and nuzzled her neck instead._

_What was he doing? Somehow, he found himself extremely attracted to Aklia at the moment. He just wanted her. Even though, at the same time, he wanted Teana as well._

_Aklia leaned her head back. She then pushed herself up a bit and kissed his lips, adding a little tongue, too. Yami turned his head and brought her into himself. He had both his hands on either side of her body, caressing her._

_From up above, someone could see them. Asenath was a few floors up and she happened to catch a glimpse of some movement down below as she passed the window. She cocked her head to the side and stared down at them._

_"Yami…" she said in a warning tone. "Be careful. Don't do anything you'll regret, you fool…" She sighed. If he…if he had sex with her down there… it could mean horrible things._

_She breathed in slowly. He wouldn't do something so foolish, she was sure. Aklia wouldn't let him._

_She was right. Although Yami was still on top of her, it looked like they were talking. With kissing in between. Or more like kissing with talking in between._

_Meh_

_She sighed. "I suppose they ought to get used to that kind of behavior…"_

_Yami was nose-to-nose with his fiancé. She smiled at him and closed her eyes._

_"I love you," she whispered. Yami opened his eyes to face her. He wanted so badly… he didn't want to just have to love her. He wanted her so badly now. For some reason…_

_"I know," was his reply._

**

* * *

**

Asenath couldn't believe the message she received. Teana would now have an even _shorter_ time here, but… She couldn't refuse such a plea.

"Atemuuuu!" Asenath called, sticking her head out the window. Yami came from the opposite side of the courtyard, Teana in toe.

"Asenath," he breathed. "What is it?" Teana grabbed his hand and bit her lip.

Asenath sighed.

"You have a visitor," she explained. A young woman stepped out from behind her. Her short black hair was pulled back, and the clothes she was wearing were fit for a queen.

…or the daughter of a wealthy noble…

Yami stared at her. For a second, he had no idea who she was. Then…

"Ak… Aklia?" he stammered. "Is… is that you?" The young woman smiled at him, nodding slowly. Yami stared in shock. He could barely recognize her. It looked nothing like her at all.

But then… he began to see it. He saw the playful eyes that used to haunt him all the time. He saw the smiling face. She was the same height she used to be, too. She was exactly the same… yet different.

"Aklia," he said slowly. Aklia just took a step forward. Yami let go of Teana's hand and walked up to Aklia. Teana folded her hands and watched from the side, coughing a little. She wiped her head with the back of her hand, sweat beading down her forehead. She felt a little dizzy…

"Hello, Lady Aklia," Yami said, smiling at his old friend. Aklia sighed. "What are you doing here?"

"I… I just wanted to see this place again," she said slowly. She glanced around Yami to see the elegant courtyard. She noticed Teana, but pretended not to. She knew it was _her._ The servant-girl that he had run off with. Leaving her in despair, always constantly wondering if he were alive.

"I'm so glad you're home again," she said, smiling. "When… I thought you had died."

"You and everyone else alike, Aklia," Yami said, chuckling a little. Aklia smiled reluctantly. All she felt was malice for Teana. Although she also felt bad that she hated the woman that he loved, it hurt her that it wasn't _her_ that he loved – it was Teana. And she was probably the Queen, too.

_…although she isn't dressed like one…_ her mind pressed. She didn't dwell on the matter.

Yami wasn't sure what to do. It was certainly… awkward to be in his position. So he did what anyone would do.

"Teana…" he said slowly. "Come over here for a moment." Teana walked forwards, her hands folded in her lap. She was almost afraid to look at Aklia. She knew Aklia must be fuming, for she took Yami away from her.

"Aklia… this is Teana, my… wife," he said, smiling. Aklia smiled at the girl. Teana breathed a sigh of relief.

"Miss Teana," Aklia said, walking over to her. She took the girl's hand in her own. "Please… whatever you do… love him," she said, so only Teana could hear. "Love him and live with him. Be his partner, his companion. That was to be my job, but I'm sure that, if he's with someone… someone he loves… it will be much easier. I love him," she said, tears in her eyes, her hands shaking. "I always have. And… if he loves you… you have to be sure that you love him back." With that, she brought Teana's hand to her lips and kissed it. "…My Lady, or… more like the future Lady of this land." She backed away and nodded to Yami.

"Take care of her. And of yourself," she said, smiling. Although her eyes were sad, and her heart still held malice for Teana, she felt at ease. Somewhat, anyway, with her life.

Asenath watched from a distance. She gave a hearty sigh and closed her eyes.

"How come I had no idea you were coming?" Yami asked. "Didn't you send a letter?" Aklia just smiled at him and glanced at Asenath. Asenath walked over and placed her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Miss Aklia… I can assist you," she said, pulling the girl away from Yami. Aklia smiled at Yami and closed her eyes, disappearing with Asenath into the depths of the palace.

"That was…" he trailed off, not sure of what it was. Yami just stared after the two as they disappeared from sight.

Teana slid her arms in between Yami's and laid her head on his arm.

"Where did she come from?" she asked hesitantly. "She just… came out of nowhere."

"I know," Yami said. "It is kind of unnerving…" He gulped. Had she overhead him telling Teana their story?

"Did you… did you ever love her?" Teana asked slowly. Yami blinked and smiled at her.

"Ever love her… I don't think so, Teana. I mean… when we were younger… She was my friend. But suddenly… it became clear that one day, she would be more than just one of my friends. And… I didn't love her like that. But then, I got you," he said, placing a hand on her cheek. Teana leaned up and kissed his cheek, smiling brightly.

"I love you…" she whispered to him.

"Yami! Teana!" a voice said, breaking them apart. Teana turned around and Yami looked up.

"Yes?" they both said simultaneously. Asenath sighed. She came around the corner and leaned in the window.

"I'm sorry, Teana, but I have no more energy left. You have to go back now." Teana lowered her eyes to the ground and nodded.

"Alright…"

"Don't worry," Asenath said, straining to keep her voice from breaking. "You'll be back here soon, no doubt." Teana nodded and turned back to Yami.

"We'll be together again soon," Yami said to her, kissing her forehead. Teana smiled and turned away, walking towards Asenath.

Yami sighed and closed his eyes, not wanting to watch her leave again.

**

* * *

**

Asenath knew she had to say _something._ Her heart was almost beating out of her chest, she was so nervous and afraid. She was afraid that she would completely ruin everything, and spill all she knew to her brother. If she did…

_…If she did…_

She shook her head. She would refuse to make that mistake again.

"Y-Yami!" she called, running over to him. Yami turned and saw her, and smiled. It was a sad, forlorn kind of smile, one that someone would give if… If…

Asenath stared at him momentarily.

_Does he know!_ Asenath's thoughts became panicked and jumbled. Yami beckoned her over to where he was sitting in the center of the throne room. The dying sun bounced on the walls and over their bodies, washing them in red light.

"Yami," Asenath asked, kneeling beside him. "What's wrong?"

At first, Yami didn't answer. He just closed his eyes and looked the other way. Asenath stared at him and waited for him to answer.

"Well? What is it?" she asked. Yami sighed.

"…There is something," he said slowly, "That you haven't been telling me." Asenath stared at him in confusion and horror.

"L-like what?" she stammered, not easily hiding her fear from her brother. Yami stared at her with sturdy eyes.

"Your visions," he said. "I know that you saw something once. Something that terrified you, Asenath. And not many things completely terrify you like that vision did. I know that for a fact. _I was in the room when it happened,_" he stressed. Asenath didn't reply. "I just… want to know. What… what did you see, that made you so afraid?" Asenath looked away. She glanced up at the tall windows and stared out them.

"I'm leaving tomorrow night," she said. She sighed. "I… I can't tell you. Tomorrow night… if I leave late enough… I can tell you." She placed her hand on his cheek. "But… until then, I can't say a word. I'm sorry… Atemu." She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his forehead. "I believe that, if you were to know before I thought you were ready, that you wouldn't take it like a Pharaoh should." Yami just looked up at her.

"If… you say so," he said, sighing. He looked up at her. "When you said that Teana and I would be reunited again… soon… you sounded unsure of yourself. Why was that?" he asked. Asenath stared at him. She leaned close to him and put both hands on either sides of his face.

"Because… because that's not true," she whispered to him, her eyes glinting in the dying sun. "It was a lie."

**

* * *

**

_Man… all the good stuff is gonna happen next chappu, peoples. Just like… 2 more chaps to go! Technically one, since the last one is an epilogue type thing._ _I'm still trying to figure out what will happen in chapter 18… anyway. Next Chapter: "Amazing Grace"…As Asenath leaves to "get Teana", as she puts it, she reflects and thinks about what is about to happen in Kemet… and what the country will be like when she returns… And what is really happening to Teana.** Oh, and also: I actually put my s/n online:everyone faints: yes. My AIM name is in my profile, if you would like to contact me! No, not my email, because I still am, and always will, be paranoid about that. Anyway...**_

**Shibby-One**


	18. Amazing Grace

_(God… for awhile there, I forgot I wrote fanfics. n0n;; Seriously. Been super busy. Since OM states came around, I've been so busy, I got a C+ in History. o.o; Heh. Well, it's 4th Term, OM is over, and now I can FINALLY finish off this fic. FINALLY. –Glee- Yippee! Just in case you forgot what happened before, Yami saw Teana AND Aklia, and Asenath is being all "Omfg! I can't tell you anything!" So… yarr. Have fun, kiddies.)_

**Light the Flame**

**Chapter Eighteen**

**_Amazing Grace_**

She opened her eyes. Sun streamed from her balcony, warming over her entire cold, numb body. She felt small and insufficient. She felt like the warmth given to her so graciously wasn't meant for her. She felt as if it were provoking her to welcome this day.

She didn't want to get up. She rolled over onto her side, clutching her blankets in her hands. She closed her eyes and tried to bury herself into her sheets.

But, after awhile, the heat became unbearable, and Asenath had to give herself over to the morning light.

She pulled herself up and looked at herself in the mirror. She placed her hands on her face and stared at her reflection.

"…Please, Ra," she whispered in a salty voice, "… please don't let this be. Please, oh Gods please… why do I have to _do_ this?" Her fingers graced the sheer surface and touched the reflective glass. It was cool underneath her fingers.

The light shone through the lace curtains. They reflected off her limestone walls, causing the black and green ink painted over them to shimmer. It raced through her room, leaving red trails in the air.

Asenath found a ray of light encircling her body. She could feel it on her back. She turned around and stared at the light.

She ran to the balcony. She thrust back the curtains and leaned on the rail, her hair falling in sheaves of black waves over her shoulders and around her head. It was her black halo.

Her white robe laid heavily on her body and draped over the rail, billowing like clouds. She wet her lips and closed her eyes as she bowed to the sun.

"My dear Ra…" she whispered, sliding down the rail, her hair encamping her, "…forgive me."

**

* * *

**

Yami felt sick. His stomach was doing hundreds upon hundreds of flips inside him, making his throat tingle and his head throb. His skin was pale and clammy, and it took all his strength to just stand.

_It was an omen._

"This is… Whoa," Seto said, stopping at the doorway to his room. "My gods… Yami? Are… are you alright?" Yami was sitting on his bed still, head in his hands, nearly shivering. Concerned, Seto walked over, crouching next to him.

"Y-Yami? What happened to you?" Seto asked. Yami lifted his head. Seto stared at the face that was looking at him.

He was completely pale. His skin was almost ashen white, with sweat leaking down it. His eyes were red and he had his arms wrapped around his stomach so protectively, he seemed about to crush his small frame.

"…Seto," he said, slowly, "I feel like… I don't even know."

"Well, you _look_ dead," Seto said, "If that's any compensation."

"It isn't." Seto cocked his head.

"Well, uhh… I can go and get Ma—" Seto stopped short as Yami's hand shot out from where he had it tucked around his ribcage, and grabbed the front of his tunic.

"It's… a sign," he said. He looked up at Seto with wide eyes. "It's an omen."

"What?" Seto said. "An omen?"

"Something bad is about to happen," Yami said. "I can feel it. Or more like… Asenath can feel it. This isn't completely me." Seto stared at Yami. He knew that brothers and sisters, often where magic is involved, develop strange abilities between families, but…

"You know I have a… link of sorts with Asenath," Yami said slowly. "There's something… something weird about that link, Seto. Something even I don't understand about it. But I do know this; there is something wrong. And if anyone knows, it's Asenath."

**

* * *

**

"Hush hush, you," Maia said, stroking Angel's muzzle. "All you _normally_ do is overreact. And look what you did – you've gotten all of the horses into it, you crazy steed." Angel looked at Maia with round amber eyes as he pulled on the reigns she was tying up.

_"No._ Whatever you're always excited about must have leaked out somewhere; nearly all the wildlife around here has been acting out all morning. The other horses, the birds, the other farm animals…" Maia trailed off in thought. _Animals don't do things like this…_ "…I suppose that's all your fault as well?" Angel whinnied and tugged harder on his leather reigns. "Ugh, Angel, I don't see why Pharaoh puts up with you. Honestly! You've always been uncontrollable; I don't see why he thinks you're so beautiful." Angel just grunted and continued his tug-of-war with the reigns. Maia sighed and picked up a bale of hay and tossed it into his pen. She then picked up the vase she had been carrying and dumped water into his trough.

"There. Maybe that will catch your attention for awhile." She sighed and held the vase in her arms, resting it on her side. She placed a hand on her stomach and moved it around, slightly massaging her stomach.

"Well, right now you're being a good boy…" she trailed off, lost in thought. She thought about the small form inside of her; was it possible that she was pregnant again? She wouldn't know for awhile, but the possibility lingered over her. She had felt strange, unstable, even. The same way she had felt at the beginning of her pregnancy with Misora.

Maia stared up at the sky. Although it was bright and cloudless, it seemed dark, almost.

"That's so strange," she muttered, staring high.

**

* * *

**

Asenath was ravaging her room, throwing things into a bag. She could only bring so many things; she was afraid of the state of the place when she returned. She only put her most cherished items in, her heart twanging every moment.

"Only a few more hours…" she whispered, looking out the shaded window. "… hours…"

"ASENATH!" a rough voice said behind her. She spun around, her hair flying into her face, stinging her eyes. She had already been crying, her makeup all smudged; this gave her an excuse. The voice had come from none other than… Yami.

"Asenath, you… Are you okay?" he asked, staring at her with concern. She wiped her eyes and gave a playful smile.

"You scared me… and when I turned around, my hair stung my eyes, so…" she looked up at him. Yami just stared at her, and then shook his head.

"Nevermind that. Asenath, you have the answers that I _need._"

"What answers?" she said casually, folding something and putting it into the bag.

"Don't play dumb with me, Asenath. I _know_ you have answers to my questions. You've seen every single thing that's ever happened in this palace beforehand in your dreams; something's gonna happen, isn't it? Isn't it, Asenath? And for some reason, you refuse to tell me. Why?" Asenath, her back still partially to him, just shook her head. She bit her lower lip to keep from crying.

"I-I can't say anything, even if I did have the 'answer's you were looking for," she said sullenly, in a soft voice.

"Don't be coy with me, Asenath! _Listen to me!"_ Yami demanded. He grabbed onto Asenath's arm firmly. "I _know_ you know! I'm Pharaoh; I _have-to-know!_"

"I can't tell you, for the last Goddamned time!" Asenath said in a shrill voice.

"Why? Because of some 'promise' you were _born_ into?" Yami countered. "How conceited. You don't even know all of your responsibilities! How hard could it be to tell me something you've probably know for years?"

"It's not that easy!" she said, but her voice was still choked. They were both about to reach their limit.

"Asenath, this isn't a funny matter. I need to know what's going to happen, because it's the same thing you were _crying_ over _three years ago!_ I'm not stupid!"

"**I KNOW!**" Asenath cried, spinning around, looking distraught. Yami fell silent. "I _know_ I did see it three years ago, I do know what's going to happen, and it's _not that simple,_ Atemu! I can't just _tell_ you! There are rules! If I were to tell you, now, do you know what would happen! This entire city would… Oh, I don't know, burst into flames by the wrath of the gods!" She grabbed onto him, shaking, staring into his face. Her tears were sliding down her face, clean and clear, since she'd cried all her makeup off.

"If I could go back, and change time, I would make it so this future would never happen," she said, her voice breaking. "B-but I can't. I-I already sa-saved you once. I can't d-do it twice." She bowed her head, her tears dripping like icing down her face and onto the floor.

Yami stared at her. He couldn't believe what he had just done. He had just _yelled_ at her. He _never_ yells at Asenath.

He placed his hand on the back of her head, over her hair.

"Shh, Asenath, calm yourself. I didn't know; I'm sorry." Asenath shook her head, to his surprise.

"No… I can't do this anymore. I'm leaving _now._" She looked up at him, and gripped the sides of his face. She pulled him to her, and kissed his forehead gently, like she always did when they were younger.

"I'm… I…." she stared at him, her breath full and gasping. She put her hands on his face, and just shook her head, smiling and crying at the same time.

"…I can't do it. Not anymore." With that, she grabbed her bag and pushed by him, breaking into a run in the hallway. Yami ran out of the room after her, calling her name.

"Asenath! ASENATH! COME BACK!" But she didn't listen. She pushed past people, priests and guards, and ran around, through the courtyard, tripped, and fell.

She put her hands over her face, sobbing into them, shaking and gasping for breath.

"Did you hear me!" she cried, as if addressing someone. "Did you hear me, Osiris! I don't want to _do_ this anymore!" She slammed her fists onto the ground, sliding her body down with it. Her hair was askew, her face was dirty and she could barely breathe. She had slammed her fists so hard they were numb, with blood escaping from her smallest fingers and the sides of her hands.

"Dear God," she said, in the middle of gasps, "why did you do this to me? What did I do to deserve this punishment? All I can do is sit back and watch…" she rolled onto her back, gasping heavily. She felt tired all of a sudden…

Her vision blurred. She was tired now, oh so tired. She could hear people running to her, and saw the guards above her, right before everything went dark.

**

* * *

**

Asenath was pissed off. Her hands, now bandaged, made it harder for her to make her escape. She was barely conscious and already planning a new escape route.

_Now, if I can get out the window… my bag is still down there… I can grab Angel and leave after nightfall—_

"Ahh, Lady Asenath. You're awake," a voice said from somewhere above her. Her eyes came back into focus as she saw the person above her. Mahaado, the Ring hanging around his neck, was pressing something cold and damp against her head. She moaned and tried to sit up.

"Whoa there, Asenath. You really worked yourself out there. You're completely drained."

"N-no…" Asenath said, sitting up. She winced as her head pounded. "I-I was supposed to leave to get Teana tonight…"

"Well, as much as it pains me to say this, you're going to have to wait at least a few days before leaving."

"No…" Asenath could _not_ be here when it happened. "I-it's vital I leave tonight."

"Not in your condition. You stay _put._" Mahaado stood to get more medicine to mix, leaving Asenath sitting up in her bed. She glanced around, breathing heavy.

_No, this wasn't supposed to happen! I'm supposed to be leaving now!_ She closed her eyes tightly and focused.

_I've never done it successfully… but… If I really concentrate…_

Mahaado, his back turned to his patient, stood up straight, mixing in a small bowl.

"If you hold still and take this, you may be up by tomorrow," he said, as a sudden wind blew over him. He stopped, confused. The curtains were drawn, weren't they? Why was wind coming through so easily?

"Asenath, did you—" he stopped and stared.

The bed was empty.

* * *

"C'mon, Angel, don't be a wuss," Asenath said, pulling the horse along. Angel refused to cooperate, instead whinnying and pulling against Asenath.

"Angel, if you don't help me, I'll take another horse," she said, frowning at the animal. Angel just grunted in reply.

It was night. Asenath couldn't believe how fast her last day here had gone. Probably because she was out for most of it…

She hopped onto Angel's back, and pulled the reigns. In a few moments, she would be out of the city… _forever._

"Let's go, Ang—"

"Asenath!" Asenath looked up to the pathway to the palace. Seto was there, leaning on the edge, grinning at her.

"What do _you_ want? I'm about to leave!" she called back. Seto chuckled. Asenath's eyes widened as she saw what he was wearing.

"I came to say goodbye, of course," he replied, hopping down onto the level ground. He walked over to Angel and put a hand on his nose. "Well, hello, Angel. Are you going with Asenath?"

"Of course he is, fool," Asenath said, stroking the back of his neck. Seto petted his neck as well.

"Take care, Asenath. It's dangerous out there," he warned. Asenath smiled.

"Oh, I know…" Asenath stared into the starry sky. She had focused her energy, and had healed herself enough so she could at least ride one night.

"Well… You better head off, then, if you want to return within the week," Seto said, smiling. He took her hand in his, and kissed it lightly. Asenath blushed and took her hand, nodded to him, and grabbed Angel's reigns.

"When will you be back?" Seto asked. Asenath had to stop herself before she burst out crying once more.

_Not for a long time,_ she thought, but she said instead, "…Soon. I hope." Seto smiled.

"That's good… I'll be here, waiting," he said, a slight chuckle to his voice. Asenath nodded.

"See you," she said, settling herself on Angel's back. She held the reigns and whipped them against Angel's flesh.

"C'mon, let's go, Angel!" she cried, and Angel whinnied, then took off, pounding the stone beneath his feet.

Seto watched her roar away into the night. He leaned against the wall and just stared at the decreasing forms of Angel and Asenath.

Seto put his hands behind his head and stared at the sky.

"I wonder why she was so scared," he said, before retreating back into the palace. Someone was calling his name.

Asenath rode on, leaving the boundaries of the city. She kept riding blindly, her heart pounding heavily with every passing second. She eventually reached a point in the distance, where she could see the city. She pulled Angel to a stop, feeling her strength giving out.

"I'm glad I went back for this medicine," she said to herself, pouring some into her mouth. She swallowed, gagged, and then put the small container back into her bag. She stared off, the city blurring into one giant mass of light in her tearing eyes.

"Well… this is it, Angel," she said, stroking his neck. "This is it… What I saw… so many years ago…" Her hair blew with the wind, and she closed her eyes and leaned on Angel's neck, Angel sitting down on the ground.

"I love you… Atemu," she whispered, before her descent to sleep.

_I'll be just fine, pretending I'm not. I'm far too lonely, and it's all that I've got…_

**

* * *

**

Blargh. xD Okai then. Err… that's the end. Horrible, isn't it? Sorry about that. Well, technically, this isn't the end. There's another chapter, an epilogue of sorts. Woohoo. Sorry I've been dead for so long, so many things going on… Spring Break just came, and what with colorguard and weddings and… random get-togethers… I managed to produce this. Nyar. n.n;; Sorry it sucks so bad, argh. Well, anyway, the point is, there you have it. As you prolly guessed, the next morn is when Bakura arrives. YAY. –Cough- anyshoe. This coming weekend is AB05! (Anime Boston 2005, hehe) and Friday I'm going as Asenath, and then Saturday and Sunday as Bakura. Imma be at the photoshoot on Sunday for Yuugiou, too, so maybe I'll see ya there!

Ehh… Wow. This story has taken me over a year to write. Woohoo. I'll be kinda glad and kinda sad when it ends. Glad that I don't have to write it anymore; sad that it's over. Well, all great things must come to an end, ne? –Sigh- Well… anyway.

Thanks so much, and wait for the Epilogue! Find out what happened to Asenath after she left. Last Chapter: "Epilogue; Ending."

Oh yeah, I don't own **All That I've Got**, by **The Used.** That's what the last line comes from, yo.

**Shibby-One**


	19. Epilogue

Woohoo!... Epilouge. o-O I can't spell that word. Epilogue. Epilouge. Whatever. Spell-check will get it. XD

Err… yeah. This is the end, ladies and gents. :O So… I'll have some random thing at the end, I guess.

**Light the Flame**

**Epilogue**

Asenath had seen many things in her dreams. But since she hadn't known her brother's wife since birth, she didn't see anything in her future that didn't have her brother in them.

So she was completely unprepared for what would await her, high in the mountains.

By the third day of her journey, Angel became fidgety and it took all of Asenath's will and strength to keep him from turning around. He could sense things that happened to his master, Atemu.

"Shush, Angel, you silly animal," Asenath said, stroking his nuzzle as she controlled him. "It'll be alright."

She continued on, holding her head high. It was nearly a week later that she finally saw the tens and people in the far mountains.

After asking through several different tribes, she finally found the path to the one where Teana was from. But the news she received wasn't good.

"Oh, you're a doctor! Thank God!"

"A horrible epidemic has plagued our families –"

"It's affecting mainly women!"

It took her three days to make it to Teana, because she was whipping up remedies for dying women. But she was barely able to save any. Whatever sickness had infected these people, it was horrible. Almost satanic. Asenath was almost afraid to reach Teana's village.

What if she fell victim to the same plague that infected these other villages…?

**

* * *

**

After two days, she finally arrived at the village where "Little Ana" had returned to. She was greeted with excitement, since this village had been one of the hardest hit. A tall, burly young man was speaking to her excitedly.

"…We received word that you were here, an Egyptian doctor, so we're glad that you were able to come to our village. I'm Kenneth," he added, bowing to her. "Please, please help us." Asenath smiled and nodded at him. He had a kind, sincere look about him. Asenath glanced around her at the village. There was an obvious lack of women; she wondered how many had died. She was ushered immediately into a broad tent, meeting with an elderly woman.

"Miss," the elderly woman said, slowly, "you have become our savior in this land. In the few short days that you have been in these mountains, stories of your medicines and healings have already infected us. We are eager to hear that you can help save our wives, daughters and mothers." Asenath bowed to the woman.

"I'm… just here, looking for someone," she said, tightening her hands into fists.

"Oh?"

"…Yes. She is one of these mountains," Asenath explained, glancing around at the men (and few women) surrounding her.

Just then, a young girl came running into the tent, her skirts flailing.

"Momma!" she gasped, falling to her knees and bowing. "I'm sorry so sorry he—"

"Don't fret, Sena," a man who looked like Kenneth, but younger, said. "He's right here." And in his arms was no one other than Zvallah.

The small boy was asleep, just over a year and a half. His short brown hair covered his eyes, and his breathing was small and low. Asenath looked up at him and smiled.

"Oh, thank God," Sena breathed. "I swear, Momma, I was watching him—"

"It's all right, child," the woman said. She nodded to Asenath. "Show her the girls."

"Yes, Momma," Sena said, standing. She wobbled a bit and coughed. "Miss, if you would come with me… We would gladly let you stay here for awhile if you would please help us…"

"Of course," Asenath said kindly. She bowed to the others in the tent, then followed the girl outside into the dusk.

"Umm, Miss Sena?" Asenath asked as they walked. Sena looked up at her.

"Yes?" she asked kindly.

"I'm looking for someone… is there a woman named 'Teana' living here?" Sena gasped, then stared at her.

"You're… looking for Teana?" she said, stopping. Asenath blinked, then nodded.

"Yes, I'm related to her husband, the—"

"I thought I was seeing something familiar about you," a voice said from behind her. Kenneth and the other man with the small child had been walking in another direction, but overheard Asenath's question. Asenath straightened up and turned to them. "You resemble Yami a lot, you know."

"I know," she said, smiling. "So, do you know this girl?"

"Yes… she's our half-sister," Kenneth said. The younger one was re-positioning the little boy. "…she _was_ our half sister."

"Was? Why isn't she now?" Asenath asked. Kenneth looked at the other man, then at Sena.

"She… she passed away yesterday," Sena said slowly. Asenath's eyes widened, and she looked at the young girl. She was wiping her eyes, and she coughed.

"What?" Asenath gasped. "She… she _died?_"

"Yes," Kenneth said. "She was one of the victims of the sickness that came here. She… she must have caught it by tending to people who had it… Was that it, Sati?" he said, addressing the other man.

"Yes," he said. "She refused to let people who weren't susceptible to the disease be the only ones to help…" Asenath just stared at them.

How could…. How could this be? Everyone she was looking for… everyone she cared about… were slipping through her fingers. Asenath just shook her head.

"No, no… how…It… wasn't supposed to be this way…" She said slowly.

"No, it wasn't," Sati agreed. He handed the boy off to Kenneth and took Asenath's hand. "If you want, we can show you where she is now." He tugged Asenath across the light sand over to a tent that was far off to the side. Asenath had an eerie feeling about this tent.

They entered into a dark, solemn place.

And there, laying on the sand, were dozens of covered, lifeless bodies. Asenath placed a hand over her mouth. It was sickeningly amazing to see.

She was led past dead bodies covered with blankets and sheets, hands and feet exposed. She shivered at the thought.

They stopped at one blanket. It was a beautiful, intricately woven tapestry of sorts, that had obviously taken a long time. Sati knelt next to the body and pulled the tapestry back from her head.

It revealed a beautiful young woman. Her head lying to one side, her eyes closed. Her skin was very pale, but besides that she didn't _look_ dead. She looked asleep. Asenath knelt next to her head and turned it gently to face her, on the other side. She touched her forehead, and her eyes and her nose and her lips. She was cold and waxy to the touch.

"…she…" was all she could muster. Sati bowed his head.

"Yes… she died at the foot of someone else's bed. The girl she was trying to help died as well."

"What about her son?" Asenath asked. "Is he…?"

"He's right here," Kenneth said. He motioned to the boy asleep on his shoulder. Asenath bit her lip.

"My… Gods…" she whispered. "This boy… he has no parents."

**

* * *

**

Asenath washed her hands in cold mountain water. They were covered in different powders that she mixed together to create a medicine for this dangerous disease. Wiping her hands on a cloth, she went back inside the tent that she was sleeping in that night. The bed she was given was soft and warm, refreshing after the ordeal she had been put through.

"…he needs a home, Kenneth," a voice was saying outside the tent. Asenath, pretending to be asleep, closed her eyes and listened to Kenneth and Sati argue. "He needs a mother."

"I know that," Kenneth said back. Silence fell over them. Asenath wondered if their argument had ended, but they had just fallen silent. A small voice broke the silence.

"…Kenneth?" the voice said tentatively. It was very small, and light; fragile, almost. "Kenneth, where's Mama?" Asenath gasped.

It was Zvallah.

Kenneth sighed as he sat down on his bed. Asenath could feel him looking at her as she pretended to sleep. Just to prove his point, and moaned a little and moved.

"She's deeply asleep," Kenneth breathed. "She must be exhausted."

"Kenneth!" Zvallah persisted. "I wanna see Mama!" Asenath cracked her eyes open to see Kenneth bend down and lift the child onto his lap.

"Zvallah… your mother isn't coming back," he said, tapping Zvallah's nose. Asenath stared at Zvallah. This was the first time she was getting a good look at him.

She was startled at how much he resembled Yami at that age. She was nine when Yami was around two, so she remembered well. Zvallah had the same big, tiger eyes, the same color as Yami's, and same round face and same ears. He had a thin frame and short legs, just like his father. It was remarkable.

But she could see his mother in there, too. He had rich, deep brown colored hair spilling out of his head, tied back and out of his face. His complexion wasn't as dark as Yami's, although that could also be age… Although his legs and arms were short, they were thin and graceful, like Teana. She could tell that he would grow up to be very tall.

"…why?" Zvallah asked. He tugged on Kenneth's shirt. "Why, Kenneth?"

"…She… she's with your daddy," Kenneth explained, rubbing the top of his head.

"Da?" he asked, lighting up. "She with Da?"

"Yes, Zvallah. She's with your daddy." Asenath breathed deeply, trying not to cry. "You'll see them again soon, Zve-chan. Don't worry about it, okay?"

"Kay!" Zvallah said cheerily. "Where are they?"

"…I don't know exactly… but… it's all good, Zvallah," Kenneth said, smiling at the boy. Zvallah grinned back.

Asenath was trying not to cry. She _couldn't_ cry. Not in front of this little boy.

"He needs someone to watch over him…" Sati said slowly.

Asenath had made up her mind.

"I… can take him," she said, sitting up. Both men gasped in surprise. "Sorry, but you woke me up when you came in, and I just kind of listened."

"Oh… You?" Kenneth said, a little stunned to find the woman he had been admiring to be awake. "Watch him? I suppose… I don't know, Asenath…" Asenath stepped out of her bed and walked across to them.

"I can do it," she said. "I practically raised my brother from this age… I can do it. He needs a mother figure, and… since I can never be a mother… And I am his aunt…"

"You could do a better job of raising him, I bet," Kenneth said, smiling a kind smile to her. Asenath nodded, her black hair swaying. She knelt down before Zvallah and smiled at him.

"Hello, Zvallah," she said, putting out her hand. Zvallah stared at her with Yami's inquisitive eyes, then out his hand on hers.

"My name is Asenath," she said, holding his hand.

"Ase…Asen…Aseh…" Zvallah struggled with the name.

"You can call me As…" she trailed off as a thought hit her. It was almost horribly painful for her to suggest, but… "…Nefer-Asen."

_"Nefer-Asen!"_

_"Come on, Nefer-Asen!"_

_"Aseh… Asenath?"_

_"Nefer-Asen!"_

_"No, it's Asen."_

_"No, Nefer-Asen! You're pretty, Nefer-Asen!"_

"…Nefer-Asen," she said, smiling, tears rolling down her eyes. Images of her brothers rolled throughout her head, filling her memory.

…She won't see either of her brothers… ever again.

And with that, after that night, Asenath took Zvallah with her, up North, to the Nile Delta. Far away from her birthplace. Far away from her pain.

And lived, for years and years, waiting, just waiting, for when she would see Yami again.

Waiting.

And waiting.

And sensing.

And hoping.

And hundred, thousands of years later, while she was living in Tokyo with Zvallah, one cool night in 1980, one of her colleagues, a young, zany professor, told her that his wife was pregnant.

"Rachel's gonna have a baby, Asenath! Can you believe it?" this professor expressed, brushing his own spiky bangs out of his face. "It'll be amazing."

"Oh," Asenath said, smiling. "I can't wait."

**

* * *

**

…and there you have it. My retarded ending. 8D

Well… it's been over a year since I first started writing _Dance the Forbidden Dance_. It's alllll over now. This story is _finally_ done. And so is this… saga. I think. I have no idea.

Anyway, thank you to everyone who stuck it out with me! Sorry it took me SO LONG to write this… bah. XD I'm nuts. But you all knew that.

Well, now that this is finally over, I'll prolly have some one-shots, then some other major, multi-chapter huge-ass fic will come along and consume my life for awhile. n.n; Oh well. It'll prolly have Asenath in it. I should have more fics with her… I'll try to smoosh her in somewhere. Zvallah, too. Because we all love Zve-kun!

Again, thank you, and my huge going-on-a-million cast of characters thanks you, too!

Tata!

**Shibby****-One :D**


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